Code: Belpois (Remake)
by LongHairedAelita
Summary: (Remake of Code: Belpois) Kaitlyn Belpois is Jeremie's cousin from Joplin, Missouri who lives an ordinary life as a public school student. But what happens when an EF5 Tornado rips through her hometown, and she is forced to move to France with her cousin? (Rated T for minor swearing. Please R&R!)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

*Joplin, Missouri. May 22nd*

Kaitlyn's POV

"So here we have the equation 3x-6y=12…."

I yawned. I couldn't focus on math right now. With the end of the year nearing, I was busy thinking of stuff I was going to be doing for vacation. Also, any class besides French is not interesting to me. I am already fluent in French, so I'm passing that class for sure this year.

"KAITLYN! Are you listening, young lady?! You have a math exam next week!" My teacher, Ms. David, yelled in her high pitched, nails on a chalkboard voice.

I jumped. "Oh- uh yes ma'am. Sorry." I stammered. Everyone started laughing at me. Blushing a slight bit, I picked up my pen and started writing the equation to make it look like I was paying attention when I truly wasn't. Plus, I wasn't worried about failing the math exam. My cousin, Jeremie, was great at math and he always helped me. I had to just call or Skype with him because he lives overseas in France. No big deal.

"Okay. Anyways…" She turned back to the chalkboard.

I sighed in relief as I pretended to take notes.

Just then… "MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE," The principal boomed over the PA system. "Due to inclement weather approaching, we are sending everyone home after this period. An automated call will be sent out to each of your parents so they know to come get you. There is a tornado warning in effect for the entire city of Joplin until tonight. Stay safe, everyone, and have a good day!"

The principal hung up off the speaker, and afterwards everyone started talking and whispering.

"Alright now class, settle down!" Ms. Davis demanded. "We'll wrap everything up until we see each other again, which I hope will be tomorrow. Stay safe everyone."

The bell then rang. Everyone got up as they started to rush out, picking up their cell phones to call their parents or guardians. I then thought about it, and thought that maybe I should do the same. I took my phone out of my khaki pants pocket, and dialed my mom's number. It started ringing. I walked towards the door while my phone continued to ring until my mom picked up.

"Hello?" My mom answered breathlessly, as if she was in a hurry.

"Hey, Ma. I don't know if you got the message yet, but they're releasing school early due to a tornado warning." I said, as I walked outside. It was cloudy and overcast, and the wind was picking up._ Uh oh, this isn't good._

"I know, honey. I am on my way. They let everyone go early from work today as well. Wait outside in the normal area for me; I will be there in about five minutes. Your father is already at home getting the basement ready. I love you." She had a tremble in her voice.

I sighed. "Okay mom. I love you too." This worried me just a bit. I don't know why, it just did. I walked outside to the normal area where I waited for her.

I could feel a few droplets of water hitting me on my head, and I could see a few droplets of water on my glasses. I was a little worried, but at the same time, it didn't look like it was going to do anything bad. Besides, we've had many tornado watches and warnings and never really got anything. But, I guess I'll go home and catch up on my sleep.

I looked over to my right, and seen my mom's familiar Ford Escape pull up to me. Racing for it, I took my bag off my shoulder, and climbed in the front seat.

"The storm is expected to hit Cassville around four o'clock this afternoon, and expected to hit Joplin around five o'clock this evening. We are going to keep a close watch on this supercell, for we have found some very high air pressure in these storms. Very high possibility for tornadoes—" My mom had the radio going on her favorite radio station, which played a variety of current modern hits and stuff from the 90's. The voice going on the radio was robotic and male.

I slipped my iPhone into my bag, and buckled my seat belt. "So, besides what I just heard, have you heard anything else on this storm?" I asked. I wasn't too worried about it anymore.

"No, not really," My mom said, as she put the car in drive and we started heading home. "They're saying that they're not sure about it, but at the same time, they're saying it's better to be safe than sorry. We're going to call your Aunt and Uncle in France and inform them just in case something happens. You can never be too sure."

We started driving home. I shrugged. I gazed up at the sky. The clouds were achromatic, mixing in with whites, grays, and black. This was going to be one hell of a storm; I felt a twinge in my heart. _I hope that this won't get too serious._

**Meanwhile…**

**Paris, France**

**Jeremie's POV **

I sat on my computer ready to try a new program. I typed in the code I needed to connect to my new favorite program. For the time being, it's one of my biggest secrets, despite a few people who already know. Those few people are my friends.

"Aelita? Do you read me? This is Jeremie," I said into my headset.

Aelita then popped up on my computer screen with her familiar pink hair and green eyes_. "Hi! How are you?"_ she asked with a bright smile on her face, which made me melt warmly on the inside.

I smiled back. "Uh, I'm fine. How about you?" I held my microphone and could feel my cheeks heating up.

"Okay." She said. _"I didn't see anything unusual around the towers. It all seems quiet... Well, for the time being." _She added a small smile.

I scratched my face in nervousness. "You know, I'm making progress here on Earth…so…so you can come live with us." I stammered. I couldn't help but think what a big dream come true it would be to have Aelita here with us. She's so… Wow.

Aelita's eyes jumped in happiness. _"The key to materialization?! You've found it at last_?" Her tone was so excited. She wanted so much to come to Earth.

"Uh, no… Not yet." I said, scratching the back of my head, then smiled. "But I'm making progress. It won't be but a matter of time, and then XANA can't do anything to harm you, or us," I reassured.

Aelita sighed in relief, smiling. _"That's great, thanks._"

Just then, my phone started ringing, startling me. "Hmm, that's weird. I don't normally get phone calls in the middle of the day like this." I said to myself, then turning back to Aelita. "Hang on, Aelita; I'm getting a phone call. I'll be right back with you in a minute."

"_Okay."_ She said.

I took off my headset and pressed talk. "Hello?" I said.

"_Jeremie?"_ My dad's familiar voice said. _"How are you doing, son?" _

"Oh, uh—Dad! I wasn't expecting to hear from you anytime soon! I'm great, how about you?" I said, pacing back and forth.

My dad sighed over the phone. Uh oh, this can't be good. _"I'm fine, Son. But I actually called you to let you know…that Aunt Katie, Uncle Mark, and Cousin Kaitlyn in Missouri are under a tornado warning and that things may get pretty nasty. I'm just a little worried, so I thought you should know. It's actually on the news here."_ He said.

I thought for a minute. "Okay, Dad. I'll keep up with it. In the meantime, I need to get to class." I said, making up an excuse to get off the phone.

"_Okay, son. I was just calling to let you know. They're a little worried about it so I thought you had the right to know too. I love you. Have a good day."_ My dad said.

"Thank you for letting me know, Dad. I love you, too. I may call Kaitlyn later on today to check and make sure she's alright." I said. I was now scared and worried. Joplin was known for its bad storms, especially tornadoes. With it being at the end of May, tornado season was coming for them.

"_Okay, big guy. Talk to you later."_ He said, and hung up.

_Great, that was just what I needed_. I put my phone in my pocket, walked over back to my computer desk and put my headset back on.

"Aelita? Are you still there?" I said.

Aelita then popped back up on the screen. _"Yes, I am. If you don't mind me asking, what was that all about, Jeremie?" _

I sighed, not in my usual dismissive manner that I would normally have. "Oh…my cousin in Missouri is more than likely about to get hit by a tornado, and a very bad one to say the least. Do you know where Missouri is, Aelita?"

She thought for a second. _"I think so. Isn't it in a place called The United States of America?"_ She said with a bit of a guessing, but sheepish tone. _"I was studying your world a little."_

"You're absolutely right," I smiled, showing her that it was okay.

Aelita looked like she was thinking for a minute again. I guess I ended up saying something that she didn't know just yet. _"Oh yeah, and Jeremie? What are cousins?" _

I thought for a second on how I was going to word the answer. "Well, cousins are my mom's or dad's siblings' kids. My dad's brother, Mark, married my Aunt and they had Kaitlyn."

Aelita took in what I just said, then smiled softly. _"Oh, I see. What does Kaitlyn look like?"_

I admit, I hadn't seen Kaitlyn in quite some time. "Well, she has long blonde hair, wears square framed glasses, normally wears a pink turtle neck and khakis, but will sometimes switch it up to jeans." I said, remembering a long forgotten memory. I then remembered I have a picture of her and me laying around here somewhere. Rummaging through the pile of paper work on my desk, I managed to dig up the picture, which had been folded and stained a bit from aging. "Here's a picture of her, Aelita. That's me next to her."

Aelita looked up at the photo and gasped in awe. _"Oh, wow, she looks a bit like you, Jeremie." _

"I've heard that plenty of times, Aelita. People used to think her and I were brother and sister when we were younger," I said, remembering the fond memories of people asking my aunt and mom if we were twins at one point. That didn't help when Kaitlyn and I started blushing simultaneously.

I then remembered that I needed to get downstairs and help with sound checking the music for the school prom tonight. "Well, Aelita, I have to go for a bit. I'll be back up soon. Beep my laptop if you need me."

"Okay, Jeremie." She signed off the screen.

I grabbed my laptop, and walked down to the gymnasium. I couldn't help but think of my aunt, uncle, and Kaitlyn as I was walking down. I was really starting to get worried.

As I walked down the stairs, Milly stormed by with a teddy bear in her hand. She looked distraught. But before I could ask her what had happened, she was off like a shot. She was one of the fastest kids in the seventh grade, so trying to match her was a death sentence.

I walked into the gym, my mind racing in thoughts of Kaitlyn when a shrill voice met my ears. "You look like you just met the Devil and he took more than just a drop for your signature. What's going on? Did you and your cyber angel have a fight for the first time?"

I look up into Odd's eyes. He wore 90% purple, with spiked up blonde hair. In the center was a purple diamond. His shoes were yellow and his under shirt was darkish pink. I scowled slightly at the joke, but then sighed in defeat. "My cousin's in a tornado warning in the States and I can't help her."

A girl older than I was came over. "Do you think it'll be okay, Jeremie?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Yumi."

As I took a box, I look over to see Ulrich taping wires. It's better to tape them down than have everyone trip over them. Yumi decided to rest on the stage. She did some lifting with the disco ball. "Don't look so gloomy, Ulrich. Is it because of Milly? You could've said yes. You know me. It's just a prom."

It was then that I understood part of the story. Ulrich had rejected Milly as a date for the middle school prom. I sighed a little. Poor Milly…

Odd twirled the microphone. I was thankful that he didn't have that thing on high. It would've sounded like a helicopter from the whirling. Thinking of whirling made me think of what Kaitlyn might've been experiencing. I hoped Dad would keep me in the loop.

He caught the microphone and put it to his mouth. "Even if _I_ was your date?"

"Sissi really did come on strong. If meanness is one of the qualities of a beauty queen, she'll get reelected, alright."

I set the box next to Ulrich. "That's true, but try to get Miss World to see that."

Odd chuckled, placing the microphone in the stand. His lips were to it. "Miss World, huh? Miss 'In Her Own' World is more like it."

Although that did nothing to still my worries, I laughed with Ulrich and Yumi. Sissi, who was standing on top of the ladder, checking the disco ball, growled. She was the mean girl around here. She was spoiled and doted on by her father. She was bigheaded, egotistical. She even called me "Four Eyes" at one point.

Hearing a beep, I walked to my bag and went into the boys' locker room with it. Luckily, Jim canceled gym class (irony) to have us set up for this prom, so this room was vacant. I opened my laptop and typed on my special program. "Aelita? I heard your beep. What's new?"

Aelita popped up on the screen. The smiles that had graced her beautiful features had faded now into worried frowns. _"Jeremie, the storm is strengthening! I'm worried that Kaitlyn might not make it!"_

I swore the blood ran away from my face. "In Joplin?" This was ridiculous. _Jeremie, pull yourself together. For one thing, Kaitlyn is tough. She knows how to bounce back._ One time, I had a rough time with the bullies in her hometown. They pushed, shoved, and held me down with a heavy, stinky boot. I was nine years old, and wearing glasses since the age of five.

"Looks like Kaitlyn's _brother_ is a weakling, and a nerd."

Suddenly, the weight had lifted. "Ahem!" a small voice had coughed.

There was a sudden groan and a big thud.

"He is _not_ my brother! He's my _cousin_! And if you do that again, I'll whoop your sorry behind so hard, it will take stitches…and lots of 'em. Now leave, before that has a chance to become real."

He stood up and stood over her. She was tinier than him, with her long blond hair, and I didn't want her to get hurt. Aunt Katie would've spanked me if I let harm come to her. "And what are _you_ gonna do about it!"

She smirked, green eyes set in determination. "This…" She took a deep breath. "These guys are touching my cousin and me in places!"

A window popped up on my screen, jolting me from the memories. _"This is what the weather radar says about the tornado, Jeremie."_ Aelita's eyes were wider than I ever imagined they would be. And this was after I discovered the little secret.

I looked at the weather in Joplin. It was raging faster than I thought it would. I could see the cadmium orange mix with the lightish red hue. It was the thunderstorm and tornado warnings. "Kaitlyn…" I whispered to myself. "Aelita! Tell me what EF the tornado is, please?"

The door opened. "Everything okay, Einstein?" Ulrich asked.

Yumi draped an arm around me. "What is the tornado? Odd told me everything about it," she whispered.

"Aelita's about to tell me, guys."

"Change 'me' to an 'us,' Einstein," Odd quipped. "We wanna know, too. Any family of our group is family to all of us."

I smile slightly, then frowned. "Okay, Aelita, tell _us_ what EF the tornado is, please?!" I swear, if I wasn't hunched down on the ground, I'd be nearing the earth's core.

"_I've done the needed checks while you were away. The tornado is an EF5."_

My heart sank as the blood raced from my face again. "Oh, no, no! No!" I quickly reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone.

**Meanwhile…**

**Joplin, MO, USA**

**Kaitlyn's POV**

Meanwhile…

Joplin, MO, USA

Kaitlyn's POV

I sat in my bedroom with my cat, Phantom. He was purring away, while moving his black and white tail. I kept paying attention to the outside, but it didn't look like it was doing anything. Just very light rain maybe, and it was quiet.

All of a sudden, my phone started ringing. I looked at the contact, and it was my cousin, Jeremie. "Hello?" I said, while petting Phantom.

"KAITLYN! It's Jeremie! Listen! You, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Mark need to take cover now! There's an EF5 tornado coming your way and you're right in the path of it!" Jeremie screamed on my end of the phone. I raised an eyebrow.

"Jeremie, everything is fine. There's nothing hap—" I turned around to look out of my window. My jaw dropped when I looked outside. The wind had picked up a lot now, and lightning was striking every second. The thunder started roaring and getting louder.

I looked to my right, and there it was—the biggest tornado I have ever seen in my life. I started seeing trees and houses getting torn to pieces in the distance… Oh Mon Dieux.

"JEREMIE! THE TORNADO JUST TOUCHED DOWN! I AM ON MY WAY TO THE BASEMENT, NOW!" I yelled in my phone.

Frantically, and packing my phone in my pocket, I ran as fast as I could to the living room to let my mom and dad know.

"MOM! DAD! THE TORNADO JUST TOUCHED DOWN! WE HAVE TO GET TO THE CELLAR NOW!" I yelled.

"Kaitlyn..?! Kaitlyn!" I heard Jeremie screaming over the phone.

We had to go outside in order to get to the cellar. "I'll let you know when I'm in the cellar, Jeremie!" I yelled into my phone.

My mom and dad were frantic to get to the cellar, as was I. We all held hands as we ran outside quickly to get to safety. When we opened the door, it was like looking into a huge gray, strong dust storm. I could hear the Joplin Tornado sirens going off in the distance.

Right when we got to the cellar doors, I remembered someone really important to me. My heart stopped. My face lost all color.

"Oh no! I forgot Phantom!" I yelled to my mom and dad. "You guys get in the cellar! I'll be right back!"

My mom grabbed my arm. "NO, KAITLYN! PHANTOM WILL BE FINE! COME ON!"

I ripped myself away from her and ran like hell to the house.

I busted into the back door. "PHANTOM! PHANTOM! HERE, BOY!" I yelled over all the noise. I ran towards my room. "PHANTOM!" Phantom did not come. I started tearing up, and it usually takes a lot to make me cry. "PHANTOM!" I could feel tears running down my face now.

All of a sudden, the roof got ripped off the house, and all of the furniture went flying. I screamed in fear, frantically running to the bathroom, and jumped into the bathtub. I got on my knees and laid down on my stomach and put my hands over my head, like they taught us how to do in the school Tornado drills. I closed my eyes.

I felt stuff landing and blowing on top of me, and my hair flying everywhere. I started praying silently, for things to hurry up and be okay. Suddenly, something whacked me on the back of the head, and I started seeing stars…

Hours later, I heard my phone ringing. We had lost signal between everything that happened. My hand placed it on my ear. "KAITLYN?!" Jeremie screamed over the phone. "Tell me you're there! Please…" His voice sounded about ready to cry. "Please tell me you are alive…"

There was static before I could respond. Then the signal cut out again. _He's going to freak out again, I can tell._

"Kaitlyn?! Kaitlyn?!" I heard Ma's voice shout.

"Snuggle Muffin? Are you there?!" Dad's voice sounded out loud and clear.

I couldn't speak. Debris was crushing my petite frame. I tried to breathe.

"Kaitlyn?!"

"Snuggle Bear?"

"Stand back, you two! We're digging people out."

I took in as deep a breath as I could. Then I let it out in a groan. "H-Help…"

"Wait—did you hear that?" said the third voice.

"H-help!" I tried again, a bit stronger.

"Someone's over there! Quick! Let's dig them out!"

Slowly, the weight lifted off my body. I coughed. It was dark out, but the night felt different with me. I started to breathe again. "Easy, miss…you are going to be alright."

My mother's arms wrapped around me. "Oh, Kaitlyn! You're okay. We were so worried. Jeremie tried to call us…" I could feel her arms squeezing as her body trembled.

I felt a hand pat my head. It was Dad's. "Snuggle Bear…"

Feeling my cheeks heat up, I muttered, "Dad…not in front of the rescuers…" I hid my face a little.

"We're so glad you're safe!"

Then, I saw it. A black tail with a white tip on top was sticking out. I broke free from my mother's grip once again and raced to it. "Phantom?" I asked.

It didn't move. I moved the debris out of the way. "Phantom, are you okay, boy?" My heart was racing. I picked it up, despite protests from my parents. The only thing that I could lift was the hind legs and part of his spine. My eyes welled up with tears. I couldn't believe it. "Phantom?" I looked a bit further.

My cat ended up cut in two. It scared me and made me quiver just a bit, as I dropped the part of the body I held up, I hugged my mother and started to cry.

**Meanwhile…**

**Paris, France**

**Jeremie's POV**

I sat on my bed in sullen silence. Ulrich and Odd were sitting with me, for they asked to stay with me until I got a call.

Aelita then popped up on my computer screen. She had the look of sadness in her eyes.

"Jeremie, I'm so sorry. I'm sure Kaitlyn is fine…" She said, her sentence straying away slowly as she looked down and closed her eyes in grief.

I just continued starring at my phone; almost in disbelief that my cousin is more than likely…. Ugh I don't even want to think of or say the word.

Ulrich put his hand on my shoulder in comfort, while Odd just stayed silent.

I looked over at my computer desk, and the picture I had shown Aelita earlier today was laying on my keyboard.

I got up, took the photo back to my bed, and sat down as I looked over it.

My heart sank when I looked at it. Her cheery face hugging me from behind when I was maybe 5, and she was as well. She didn't need glasses then, but I did because my eyesight started going bad at a young age.

I put the photo down, and felt tears started to come on strong. I took my glasses off, and felt the tears just pouring down my face. My heart sank so low and hard, that there was this pain in my chest.

I sobbed loudly. Ulrich hugged me tighter and so did Odd. I looked over at Aelita through my blurred vision from crying and she still had her eyes closed in sorrow.

"_I love you so much, Kaitlyn… You'll forever be with me." _ I whispered.

That's when I thought… A RETURN TO THE PAST!

I got up almost slowly.

"What are you doing, Einstein?" Ulrich asked, curious as to why I was getting up.

"Do you think a return trip will work?" I asked, in a tiny voice.

That's when Aelita's eyes opened up and she was shocked by what I just said.

"Jeremie, you know as well as I do that a return trip will not bring back a deceased person…" She said, vastly. But backed away a bit as soon as she realized that what she had said was a bit harsh, but it didn't bother me.

I sat down back on my bed; and put my face in my hands.

Just then, my phone rang. I was a bit hesitant to answer, but I knew I had to.

I picked it up, and pressed talk.

"Hello?" I said, with a quiver in my voice.

"_Jeremie, it's your dad_." My dad's familiar voice said.

"Oh, DAD!" I said almost relieved. "Is there any news on Kaitlyn, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Mark?" I was a little nervous to ask.

"_Everyone is okay, Jeremie. Kaitlyn took a blow to the head, and some lung injuries from dust inhalation, but she will be fine nevertheless. She ran out of the cellar to go after her cat, and the tornado had struck the house right when she was inside. But she was smart; she went to the bathroom and got into the bathtub. She'll be in the hospital for quite some time, but should be released within a few days." _

I felt my heart jump with joy when he said those words.

"KAITLYN'S OKAY EVERYBODY!" I cheered.

All of my friend's cheered. I couldn't contain my happiness and my joy.

"Well, thanks dad. I'm going to go to bed now, I'm exhausted. Thanks for letting me know she is okay, I was so worried." I said.

"_We were too, big guy. Good night! I'll probably call you again tomorrow." _My dad said.

"Okay dad, goodnight." I said, as I hung up my phone.

Odd and Ulrich came over and gave me a group hug. "Do you still want us to stay in here with you?" Ulrich asked.

"Eh, I wouldn't mind the company." I said.

I looked over at Aelita. She was now smiling. "I'm glad to hear Kaitlyn is okay, Jeremie. Goodnight." She said, in her comforting tone of voice.

"Goodnight, Aelita. Thanks for being there." I said.

"Anytime, Jeremie." She winked, and then signed off.

I sighed another breath of relief.

I grabbed Odd and Ulrich each a spare pillow and blanket that I kept in my wardrobe, just in case I got cold or needed extra cushioning, but they also came in handy for when they wanted to sleep over in my room for whatever reason.

I climbed in my bed, and pulled the covers down.

"Good night you two. Thanks for being there for me when needed. You guys are the best friends anyone could ever ask for." I said, as I took my glasses off and rolled over.

Odd was already out, as he snored his behind off.

"Anytime, Einstein. You know we're always here for you." Ulrich said, and turned off my desk lamp.

I closed my eyes, and smiled. Once again, everything was back to normal.

**HEY GUYS! Guess who's back? **** I missed you guys so much, and I am so glad I could find time to do this remake. I got a new PC, and I am so thankful and happy with it. Thanks so much to Teen-LyokoFan7777 for helping me out with this story, couldn't have done it without her brilliant editing. **** See you guys in future chapters! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Paris, France**

**Jeremie's POV**

I woke up slowly to the vague sound of my phone ringing. I moaned a bit, as I found the energy to get up and answer it. I reached down my bed side, and grabbed for my glasses. I put them on my face as I opened my eyes.

I picked up my phone, and pressed the talk button.

"Hello?" I said, groggily.

"Jeremie? Is that you?" I heard my uncle's familiar voice say. That's when my brain jolted awake.

"Oh, Uncle Mark! How is Kaitlyn?" I said, almost automatically. Looking around, I noticed that Odd and Ulrich were gone. That's when I checked the time, and it was nearing 7:00am. The stuff that we had gotten out last night seemed to have vanished.

"Kaitlyn is doing great, Jeremie. She had a bit of a concussion after taking a blow to the head, but she is doing great nevertheless. However, that's not why I called you. Joplin is literally destroyed, even the school that she attended. We had to take her to a Hospital here in Cassville, which is a bit more than an hour away. But nonetheless, I figured I'd call you to let you know that Kaitlyn may be attending Kadic after your Summer Break. I've already talked to your Mom and Dad, and they agreed to put in a good word for her so she can attend on a scholarship."

I felt a big smile come to my face, hearing my voice jumping in happiness as I said, "Oh wow, that's awesome news, Uncle Mark. I'd love to see you guys again. It's been so long."

"We'll definitely make that happen when we come; which will probably be after Kaitlyn gets discharged from the hospital. Probably in a few more days," Uncle Mark said. "She's tough, but after discovering her dead cat, she succumbed to the symptoms of her concussion. She'll be okay."

I sighed in relief and happiness. "Thanks for letting me know something, Uncle Mark. I appreciate it a lot."

"Anytime, Jeremie. Well I have to go now. I will probably see you before I talk to you again," Uncle Mark said. That was true. I and he rarely talked, unless something serious was going on with family, or sometimes he'd pop up and just wanted to talk. This was a rarity.

"Okay, bye for now!" I said, and hung up my phone.

I quickly got ready, and headed downstairs. I couldn't wait to tell everyone the awesome news. I was finally going to be seeing my cousin for the first time in forever. Next to Aelita's materialization, that was another dream I had long dreamt about. Kaitlyn going to school with me.

Before my friends, I didn't really have anyone. So I would so often talk to Kaitlyn. It was sometimes a lonely affair, since she and I lived in different time zones. Some nights we would have to schedule times to call each other if one needed the other. One time she got mad because I called her when she was supposed to be in bed. I only wanted to know what to do about Sissi when she annoyed me too much. Mom gave me an earful.

"Hey!" Yumi called worriedly. "Hey, Jeremie!"

I looked up at her. "Yes, Yumi?"

"Is Kaitlyn okay?"

"She's okay, she survived the tornado with a concussion and minor dust inhalation, but she had lost her cat. He meant the world to her. He was with her since she was seven."

Her frown popped to an excited grin. "That's great news that she survived!"

"And that's not all, but first, let's rally our friends."

"Odd and Ulrich are in the cafeteria."

We walked together inside the lunchroom. Odd was eating twice his weight in food—such a surprise he wasn't gaining that much—and Ulrich was just eating his croissant. I got my portion and joined them. "Hi, guys."

"You're in a good mood," Ulrich noted.

"Diff sumfing happenk?" Odd asked through a mouthful of food.

"Kaitlyn is going to come to Kadic since the school in Joplin had been destroyed. I haven't seen her in a long time."

Odd dropped his fork, swallowing his food. "You mean to say that your cousin is going to come here?"

I smiled. "Yep, that's right, Odd. I got the phone call this morning from my Uncle Mark. He and I hadn't talked in a while because of our time zones, but it was great to hear from him again." I was about to dig into my cereal.

"So how are we going to keep it a secret from her?" Ulrich asked.

I put down my spoon. "I have no idea yet. But if worse comes to worst, then we'll initiate her into our group."

It was a mutual understanding. We didn't want Kaitlyn to become suspicious because of our little secret.

**Meanwhile…**

**Cassville, Missouri**

**Kaitlyn's POV**

I looked at a picture of Phantom when he was a kitten. He was so cute with big round eyes. It reminded me of Beast Boy from _Teen Titans_ at times. Tears rolled down my face. It felt as if my organs exploded into this sticky mess. I just couldn't bear it. He had been chopped in two by something, but by what was a mystery. I just hoped he didn't suffer for long.

"Honey?" Ma asked.

"You okay, Kaitlyn?"

"J-Just missing Phantom, is all…" I tried to wipe my tears to help make me feel strong.

My Mom and Dad came forth to my hospital bed, as they bent over to hug me.

"I'm sorry this had to happen, Kaitlyn. Phantom was a good cat… But he's not suffering anymore. It was just his time." My mom said as she hugged me.

I sniffled and sobbed, as I hugged my Ma. I didn't know what I was going to do now that my whole hometown was destroyed. My heart felt like one big melted emotional mess.

"However…That's not why we came to see you." My dad said, with a smile on his face. Oh gosh.

My mom smiled as she joined my dad's side. "We were going to wait until you were feeling a little better to tell you."

I cocked a brow, as I put my picture of Phantom down. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Well, Cookie Foot, we talked with Uncle Michael and Aunt Natalie, and we've decided to move to France to start a new life once you are better."

My heart exploded. "We are?"

"_And_ we are getting you a scholarship so you can attend Kadic. You'll get to see your cousin Jeremie again."

I nearly jumped off the bed. "I haven't seen that boy in a long time." Then I heard Ma cough in an "ahem" way. "Hey, I use that boy as a term of endearment. It would be great to see him again. Maybe we could catch up properly."

"As soon as the doctors say you are better, we will start our move. We are gathering funds to help get us flight tickets, and the government wants to give you this." It was a box. "Open it."

I opened it up. "It's a laptop, with a dirty flash drive."

"It has all the files that you had on your previous mainframe. Plus a few extra things."

I smiled. "Thank you, Ma. Thank you, Dad."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm back after being gone for so long which I apologize for and I know I said I wouldn't do it anymore…. BUT… with that being said, I have some exciting news! In the time that I was gone, I actually found out that I am pregnant, and as of right now, I'm 11 weeks and 4 days along. **** So yeah, it was a pretty big surprise. Lol. Well enjoy this chapter!**

**Cassville Airport**

**Kaitlyn's POV**

It had been several weeks since the tornado hit Joplin. I was still wobbly on my feet, but, all in all, I was okay. I had several days' worth of clothes. I was listening to Martina McBride's "Happy Girl" on my iPhone. It had a kick-ass theme that the woman was a wallflower, but she grew into a stronger woman, no matter what had happened in her youth. I was waiting for the airport to announce our number. It was nighttime. The occasional yawn still came around, but I was so excited.

"Are you excited?" Ma asked.

"About seeing my cousin again? You betcha," I agreed.

"About seeing France again?"

I paused at the line "That's how it goes…!" My mouth went ajar. "Again? What do you mean, Ma?"

She cocked her head to one side. "You don't remember, do you?"

"What?"

"Oh, you were four and a half years old at the time. Of course, you wouldn't remember," Dad chimed in. "You had been to France before when you were younger."

My jaw unhinged. "I did?"

"Yep. You met your cousin Jeremie there. You two had fun finger painting together. It was so cute."

My brain seemed to short circuit. "Why don't I remember any of it?"

"94K is now boarding to Paris. 94K is now boarding to Paris."

"That's us," Ma said.

_No [choice of word], Sherlock,_ I thought tiredly. I never cursed in front of my parents unless I got too angry. It would land me grounded for years. I pack up my iPhone (I wouldn't be able to use the net there anyway) and follow my Ma and Dad. _I hope Jeremie will be happy to see me…_

**Paris, France**

**Jeremie's POV**

I pace around the room, getting worried. No, no, our little secret was safe and sound. I was worried about Kaitlyn. I got word from my dad that she, my uncle Mark, and my aunt Natalie had just boarded the plane.

Aelita watched. _"Don't pace around too much, Jeremie. I'm sure Kaitlyn will come over safe and sound."_

"But what if XANA attacks her plane? She might not come alive at all."

"_You're blowing this out of contortion."_

I stopped in my tracks. "What?"

She looked at me sheepishly. _"I was researching idioms of your world. Did I get it wrong?"_

I smiled a bit. "A little. You got only one word wrong. It's 'blowing this' or things 'out of _proportion_.' You were very close."

"_I got 83% of the words right."_

"Yeah. Plus I think Kaitlyn will like you."

"_But that's going to put her in danger and you know it. Plus, could we trust her with our secret?"_

I understood her worry. We didn't know what Kaitlyn would do if she found out about it. I hadn't seen her in years. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"_I do have faith in you, Jeremie. If she does find out and doesn't betray us, then she would be a great addition to our team."_

"Let's just hope she doesn't for now."

"Jeremie! You aren't going to miss breakfast now. Your cousin will not like it if you're skipping meals," Odd said shrilly.

"Okay, Odd. I'm coming." I turned to see Aelita with a flabbergasted expression on her face.

"_You've been skipping meals?"_

I blushed. _That wasn't the secret that I was hoping would come out._

She sighed. _"Jeremie, you know that meals are necessary."_

"I know. I've been so worried about Kaitlyn since the tornado. She had lost so much lately."

She sighed. _"You still need to eat something. Maybe you'll have the energy to tell me more about Kaitlyn."_

"JEREMIE!" Ulrich, not Odd this time, yelled into my door. "Rosa will give your portion away to Odd if you don't get a move on. Come on!"

"Be right there," I said softly.

She giggled and placed a palm on her cheek, tilting her face slightly. That melted my heart. She knew how to charm me. We have been fighting against XANA for months.

"Okay, Aelita. I'll go down to breakfast for you. See ya later."

Breakfast consisted of toast and bananas. Croissants were on the menu, but I wasn't hungry for them. Aelita would love them. Rosa makes them buttery and so warm. And they aren't the flash-frozen type, either. Once, before I became friends with Aelita, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi, I worked behind the counter to earn some extra credit for Mr. Fumet. And I saw how Rosa made the croissants for breakfast, but she made me keep that a secret.

Before I could eat my second slice of toast while I read my book, Odd was already eating more than I was. "Ah. Eight slices of toast and three bananas. Not bad, huh? Hey! Are you skipping gym class again?"

I nodded with a smile. "Yep. It gives me time to work on Aelita's materialization."

"How's Kaitlyn?"

"She's doing fine, Odd. She'll come in from Missouri later on today. I don't know when, but it will be somewhere in the afternoon. I can't wait to see her."

"You act as if you two are long distance lovers. Aelita will be jealous."

I glared at him. Odd meant well, but he knew that I don't love Kaitlyn in that way. She might kick my butt for even thinking of having a relationship with her like that. Plus, her family and mine are against incest. So even if we wanted to, we weren't allowed. "Not. Funny. Odd!"

"I was only kidding. You don't have to be all defensive like that."

After breakfast, we hung out near the tree, wondering where Ulrich was at. He yelled at me this morning, so I figured he would at least come over to breakfast. Instead, we saw a raven-haired friend walk by. Odd waved his hand in the air. "Hi, Yumi!"

She looked over in our direction and smiled. She walked up to us. "Hello!"

She then looked past us, gasping. "Hey, look over there! It's Ulrich!"

We looked behind the tree. There our friend was, looking as though someone broke his emotions, with the school brat. "But—what's he doing with Sissi?" Odd asked. "Hey, Ulrich!" He waved his arm in the air.

However, he didn't answer. Sissi moved in close to him, almost as if she was going to kiss him (someone give me brain bleach). Ulrich backed away defensively. Even though we weren't too far off, we couldn't hear what they were saying. She then changed position and leaned into his ear. She grabbed his hand and walked away with him, leaving us shocked.

During class, Odd and I sat together. Usually, I would sit with Ulrich unless his seat were taken. In my place was Sissi, so I sat with Odd instead. Our friend was writing notes while Mr. Fumet taught the class about European states in the 17th Century.

"Hey, what's going on with them? I'm seeing things," Odd said, flabbergasted. "Ulrich and Sissi? That's weird." Then he smiled. "On the brighter side, check out how jealous Hervé is." He then chuckled to himself until…

"Odd! Are you listening to me, Odd?" Mr. Fumet had heard us. Or rather, he heard my friend.

Odd just smiled widely and scratched the back of his head.

After class, Odd and I hid each other on either side of the door. Then Ulrich and Sissi came out. I still was worried about Kaitlyn, but I also wanted to know what happened to my friend.

Odd hooked his hand through Sissi's arm. "We've got some things to talk about, Sissi. Come on. Hurry up."

"Hey! But—" She gave Ulrich a last look before Odd dragged her away.

It was then that I took my chance. "'Mind explaining?"

He at first looked at me and let out a sound, but nodded. "Okay, but let's go under the arches, alright? I don't want Sissi to get suspicious."

We walked to the arches, a little ways away from where Sissi and Odd were talking. Ulrich sighed, keeping his teeth clenched. "Okay, here it goes. I'm in a—I'm in a jam, big time. For years, I've been keeping…" he mumbled the rest.

"A what?" I asked.

His shoulders shot up. "A diary! And Sissi found it, and—now she's blackmailing me. I have to go out with her." He looked back at her with Odd. "If she thinks she can win me over that way, she's wrong."

I kept my arms folded on my chest. "Hold on a second. In this diary of yours, did you talk about XANA? Or Lyoko?"

"Well, yeah, and if I don't do what Sissi says, she's going to tell everybody. I don't know what to do." He sounded worn down as he closed his eyes.

I put a hand on his shoulder, a sign of comfort. "Don't worry, Ulrich. While you're all at the pool, Yumi and I will look around. We'll find your diary, you'll see."

"THE ANSWER IS NO! For the last time, I did not have a nose job!" Sissi screeched at Odd. "So stop asking, huh?!"

Ulrich turned around. "Cut it out, Odd! Leave her alone, will ya?"

My phone beeped at me. I picked it up, turning myself away. "Hello?"

"_Jeremie, it's me, your father."_

"Dad! How's Kaitlyn? Is she okay?"

"_She's okay. She's halfway there. Just relax. You'll see Kaitlyn this afternoon. She'll be a little woozy from jet lag. We will discuss having her stay in your room until a dorm opens up."_

_That might be complicated_. I smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"_You're welcome, son. Your mother and I will be at the airport to help them."_

"Wish I could be there."

"_I understand, Jeremie."_

"Well, talk to you later."

I hung up, looking at Odd's confused expression. "Don't worry. I'll explain."


	4. Chapter 4

**Jeremie's POV**

I paced around the room. Jim had already set up the military bed for Kaitlyn's arrival (who knew it took only Mr. Delmas's word to make him believe us?). Dad told me to be ready for her.

"Will you calm down, Einstein? You're wearing a track on the carpet," Odd started.

I looked down to see that my carpet had seen better days. "But I haven't seen Kaitlyn in years. What if we end up hating each other at first?"

"_Why would she hate you? She seems to really love you from what I've heard. I'm pretty sure she's excited to see you, Jeremie."_

I jumped out of my skin and looked behind me. Already, I saw the window with my pink-haired sweetheart. "Aelita…"

"_Honestly, I wouldn't worry. From the way you worried about her, you care."_

I smiled, taking in a deep breath. "Thank you, Aelita."

She grinned. _"You're welcome."_

I heard footsteps down the hall. Heart thundering in panic, I waved at Aelita to go offline. Kaitlyn would meet her when the moment was right, but now was not the time or the place. To my relief, she closed her window.

I could hear an indistinct conversation, then the door handle turned. "And this is where you will stay until a room opens up," Jim said.

My eyes widened. There she was, square glasses over her eyes, long blond hair, dark green eyes. She wore a pink shirt and brown khaki pants. The door clicked closed, and footsteps receded to nothing.

"It's like looking in a gender-flipped mirror, huh, cuz," Kaitlyn smiled and giggled.

I stammered, at a loss for words. She looked more beautiful than the last time we saw each other.

"Did I break him?" she chuckled.

"More like caused his .exe file to stop working," Ulrich laughed with her.

She looked at me. "Jeremie, it's me, Kaitlyn."

I gathered up my jaw, taking a deep breath and smiling. "Hi, Kaitlyn." Approaching her, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek. She got the hint as her lips met my cheek. The Belpois Greeting. It's a tradition passed down from generation to generation. Some of our family members argue about when it started. However, we all agree that it connects us.

Her arms wrapped around my waist. "I missed you, cuz."

"Me, too, Kaitlyn." Then my eyes widened when I looked at my three friends sitting on the bed. "Oh, and these are my friends. The one wearing pink and purple is Odd."

"I didn't know that you had a hot cousin, Jeremie," Odd grinned. "Where have you been hiding her?"

She tensed, a fire in her green eyes. "Better back off or they'll send whatever's left of you in a matchbox!"

He backed into the wall. "Okay, okay. I was just asking!"

"That's what I thought." She sat down on the military bunk.

"This is Yumi," I gestured to her.

Yumi smiled and nodded. "_Kon'nichiwa_, Kaitlyn."

She looked at me with her right eye squinted and a frown on her face. I only smiled. "She means 'Hello.' Yumi moved from Japan when she was a baby."

"Oh…"

"This is Ulrich." I tipped my head to the earthen-tone wearing boy.

Ulrich bowed his head in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Kaitlyn. Just don't let Odd get your portion if you sit with us."

She smirked, and I couldn't help but smirk back. "Oh, I'm not worried about that."

"You two sure you aren't secretly brother and sister?" Ulrich teased.

She scoffed. "We aren't! I would have known about it."

I swore I could hear a tiny, stifled giggle from my computer as my cheeks heated up, making a mental note to create a program to silence Lyoko on both ends whenever Aelita's window closed. "I s-swear we aren't siblings."

Odd grinned widely. "Oh, lighten up, Einstein. We're only teasing."

"It's all fun and games until someone finds their head w—"

"Okay!" I said loudly enough to be heard. "So, has Jim shown you around Kadic, Kaitlyn?"

She nodded. "I got a little lost trying to find the dorms. I ran into the principal's stuck-up brat."

"Oh, you mean Sissi?" Ulrich deducted rapidly, rubbing under his chin. "I wouldn't worry about her. She's flipped over me."

"From the way things look, you don't like her at all," she blinked.

"She's a brain-dead leech!"

"Look, as much as I want to bond, it's almost lunch time," Odd interjected.

Yumi smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Forgive him. He can be a bit of a black hole," I chuckled.

She shrugged. "Just as long as he doesn't decide to sit with me on a constant basis, I'll be fine."

I grinned, but knew I had one more person to introduce. However, Aelita told me that when it was right, she could meet her. I didn't blame her. Odd's introduction to her was—rough and unconventional—to say the least. Ulrich was busy with something, and Yumi was new to our little secret.

_One day, she will find out. But today is not the time,_ I vowed.

**A/N (Teen-Lyoko-Fan7777):** **I'm so sorry it took so long. Life got in the way for me as well as my friend, and creativity had sunk into nothing. But this fanfiction is not dead. I promise you this.**

**A/N (LongHairedAelita): Sorry it took so long to update as well. I had my baby back in January and have been trying to adjust to mom life. I'm starting to get in the swing of it now. My son is will be 3 months old tomorrow. I can't believe how big he's getting already. Look forward to more recent updates, I'm so sorry.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Plagued**

**Kaitlyn's POV**

I walked down the hall and opened the door to my cousin's room. He allowed me to keep the spare key just in case. His computer was still on, but when was it not? Often, he would keep typing on it until he felt tired enough to sleep.

I sat on the military cot. It wasn't as cozy, I admit, but it was comfortable enough for me to sleep on.

Out of the corner of my eye, a window popped up on his computer. I was advised not to touch it when Jeremie wasn't around. It opened to reveal…an elven pink-haired girl? Did my cousin make, or play on, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game? Is this what he does in his spare time?

"_Jeremie_!" She said in an urgent voice. "_Jeremie, listen! XANA's woken up. He must be preparing an attack."_ She looked around, as though she could see inside the room. "Jeremie?!"

"Um…who are you?" I asked.

Her eyes widened. _"Oh, you must be Kaitlyn. Jeremie told me a lot about you."_

"What's your name?" I was sure that I had seen her before, but nothing came to mind.

"_My name is Aelita, but I need to talk to Jeremie. Have you seen him?"_

"Last I saw of him, he was taking a test in the library."

"_Did he skip one?"_

"No, no…he's taking a specialized test that will determine how intelligent he is," I said. "So who's XANA?"

_"A super dangerous program. Like a virus that can control electricity, and can activate towers to gain access to your world,"_ Aelita said.

"So if this dangerous program wants to destroy the world, what can my cousin do?" He didn't look like he could do much.

_"Since he's busy for the moment, you must find the others."_

"The others? Who the heck are they?" I would have cursed, but her innocence made me think otherwise. She looked so cute.

_"You've met them already."_

"You mean…?"

_"Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd…"_

I nodded. "I think Yumi is at home, but I can try to find Odd and Ulrich. They went to eat dinner. I'll go and get them."

I left the room. As I made my way down the stairs, someone smacked into me. Looking up, a raven-haired girl looked down on me. "Watch where you're going, Belpois!" She shrieked. Of course, Sissi Delmas. The school brat. Jeremie warned me about her. "There are rats in this school." Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Rats?" I asked her. "Wouldn't that be against the OSHA code?"

"It'd be against the health code…" she whimpered. "I wanna get out of here…"

"Um…follow me?" I led her out of the dorms to find a sea of rats surrounding the cafeteria and people walking outside the building with trays and fire extinguishers.

Sissi started waving her hands up in the air to get their attention. "HELP! Help! Over here…"

The rats looked to our for nothing, Elisabeth!

A few seconds passed and I saw someone on a bike speed through the mischief. Placing my hand over my square rims, I made out Yumi. She passed through the rats.

Yumi rode up to us. She tilted the bike so Sissi and I could get on.

"Get on, you two!" Yumi exclaimed.

"No, go ahead and take Sissi to the cafeteria. When you come back, Aelita told me to give you a message to defeat XANA."

"Will do!" Yumi yelled as she rode away with a frightened, wide-eyed Sissi on the back of her bike. I looked around, only to see nothing but huge packs of rats everywhere. Great.

Running into the woods, I pulled out my phone and tapped on Jeremie's name. However, my genius of a cousin didn't answer.

"Ugh, DAMN IT!" I muttered underneath my breath. But then I remembered he was taking the IQ test. So that's probably why he didn't answer right away.

The woods were quiet, with the exception of crickets chirping and occasional screams from the school behind me. I looked around, hoping to find somewhere I can hide, or run to.

In hopes, I picked up my phone and tapped Jeremie's name again.

Still no answer. I sighed deeply.

All of a sudden, I heard rustling behind me. Whirling around, I prepared myself to see more rats.

To my surprise, it was Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi. "Oh," I sighed heavily. "It's you guys. I was about ready to knock y'all out." I Iaughed nervously.

"That would be our highlight! Surrounded by rats and the high-strung cousin of Einstein knocks us out!" Odd chortled.

_Is this dude for real?_ I thought.

"Hey! This is no time for jokes, Odd. We need to get to the factory now," Yumi chided.

Yumi ran out more into the woods, leading us to what appeared to be a… Sewer hatch?

"Ugh! You've got to be kidding me, a sewer?!" I blurted.

Yumi turned and looked at me. "This is no time for that, Kaitlyn. We need to hurry."

She opened the sewer hatch, only to reveal more rats that clogged the way.

"No choice!" She yelled, "We have to go over the wall!"

That's much better sounding than going through a gross sewer system, I thought.

We ran for what seemed like forever. I wasn't really complaining, though. I didn't get tired out so easily.

We finally came to this huge bridge that lead to an old.. factory? Unfortunately, it was overly populated with rats.

"XANA's thought of everything!" Ulrich exclaimed.

"Wait!" Odd yelled. " Come on!" He said as he hopped over the railing. I looked down to see water, and a small blow-up raft. "Care for a little cruise?" Odd asked.

We all quickly hopped into the raft, which we were all squished riding in such a small thing. I heard the rats squealing, and I seen them jumping into the water. Odd and Ulrich paddled the boat.

"Hurry up will you, Ulrich! The rats are gaining on us!" Yumi exclaimed, creeped out by the look of the rats.

Soon, we reached the other side. Odd hopped off first, followed by Ulrich, Yumi, and lastly, me. We raced over to what looked like a pair of cellar doors. Yumi got there first, pulling them open. "Hurry up!" she yelled frantically. The opening was big enough for all of us to jump in at the same time. The cellar doors shut by themselves.

I looked around, seeing a lot of broken metal pieces, and a lot of junk, scattered around. It looked like a place homeless people would come to sleep, or where teenagers would come to do illegal activities, such as drinking, or drugs, maybe even virginity loss.

Straight ahead, there was what appeared to be an… elevator? It was weird looking. Yumi pressed the button, pulling open the panel, and put in a code on the keypad. The doors slowly opened. I was hesitant about entering.

"Come on, Kaitlyn, we don't have all night!" Ulrich yelled at me.

Normally I wouldn't swing with people yelling at me like that, but I cooperated. "O-Okay." I said as I jumped in the elevator right before the doors shut all the way. I could feel the elevator going up. It was quiet and I could feel tension in the group.

The elevator stopped to reveal… a huge ass computer? Wow. I could barely believe my eyes.

"Ah, rats! Jeremie isn't here yet. No pun intended of course." Odd said, giggling a little.

Ulrich turned to him, "This is no time for jokes, Odd. How are we going to get to Lyoko without Einstein?"

While they were busy arguing back and forth, I looked at the interface of the computer. Weirdly, I could understand what it was all about. It appeared to be a control center of a virtual world of sorts.

"I-" I stuttered. The group turned and looked at me, funnily. "I can do it." I finally said.

"Not to be funny, Kaitlyn, but this isn't exactly as easy as playing a video game," Yumi said, concerned.

"No. I think I understand weirdly what's on the computer. I can virtualize you. Hang on, I'm gonna call Jeremie," I said as I put the earpiece in my ear. I typed Jeremie's name in and found his contact info. Wow. This computer has everything.

_"Hello?"_ Jeremie's familiar voice answered.

"Jeremie! The group took me to the factory and I'm at the computer. I can virtualize them, just explain to me how to do it."

Jeremie sounded surprised over the phone. _"WOW, Kaitlyn, you've got guts. It's not that easy, but listen closely now. You need to locate the activated tower and Aelita. They should both show up on the interface. Tell me what you see."_

I looked at the computer's screen, and seen a green triangle, not far from it was a red glowing tall thing. "I see a green triangle and a red glowing thingy. Is that the tower and is the triangle Aelita?" I said a little frazzled and confused. This won't be as easy as I thought.

_"Yes you're right! Good work, Kaitlyn!"_ I was relieved. _"Now you need to type in the coordinates where you want to virtualize everyone. It's 79 degrees west! The rats have invaded the city, Kaitlyn! I've got my full trust in you! You can do it! I'll be there as soon as I can!"_ Jeremie hung up.

I let out a big sigh. Okay, here goes nothing. "Ulrich? Odd? Yumi? Are you guys ready?" I said, hesitantly.

_"Yes, Kaitlyn, we are,"_ I heard Odd's familiar voice say.

"Okay. Here goes nothing." I typed 79 into the keyboard.

Odd's picture popped up first. "Transfer, Odd," I whispered hesitantly, as my finger punched the enter button. Ulrich's picture popped up next. "Transfer, Ulrich," I smiled, my confidence growing as I punched the enter key again. Last, but not least, Yumi's picture popped up. "Transfer, Yumi!" I yelled as I punched it once more. "Scanner, Odd! Scanner, Ulrich! Scanner, Yumi! Virtualization!" I shouted, pressing enter.

I then saw 3 yellow triangles pop up on the screen. "...Did I just do it?" I said, hesitantly.

_"Yes, Kaitlyn you did! Great job!"_ I heard Aelita say. _"They're all here safe and sound."_

I sighed in relief, as I relaxed in the computer chair. "That's a relief."

_"Jeremie would be very proud of you, Kaitlyn,"_ Aelita said.

"I should hope that he would be," I giggled. "He's my cousin."

_"It's like we have a hot, female version of Jeremie in the group now!"_ Odd boasted.

I squinted my eyes as a heat came to my cheeks. "Be careful, Odd. I have just learned how to work this thing. I can make a 'mistake' you know," I teased.

_"She's right, Odd,"_ Yumi ascertained.

I relaxed back in the chair, when I suddenly heard beeping on the computer. I jumped back up. "Um, guys-" I said hesitantly, "There's something coming for you guys. I see three red dots coming at you

_"Oh, those are Krabes, Kaitlyn,"_ Odd bragged. _"Just sit back and watch us do our thing."_

I took a deep breath, and sat back. I was worried, but Odd seemed to know what he was doing, so I didn't bother.

Boy was he dead freaking wrong. Just a couple minutes later, his card vanished. "Odd!" I cried out. Did he just…?

_"Relax, Kaitlyn. Odd just got devirtualized. He's going back to Earth,"_ Aelita soothed.

"Oh, okay. Thank goodness." I sighed in relief.

Just as I sat back, the elevator opened and I saw my cousin's familiar blue shirt and khaki capris.

"Need a hand, Kaitlyn?" Jeremie asked, holding what looked like old-school camera flashers.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "Jeremie it's you. Thank goodness. Odd just got devirtualized. I don't know how everyone else is." I got up from the computer chair, and let Jeremie take my place.

He put the earpiece in his ear, and typed a code on the computer.

"Aelita? Ulrich? Yumi? Do you read me?"

"_Loud and clear, Jeremie! Things aren't so great around here!"_ I heard Aelita's familiar high-pitched voice say.

"We're up to our ears in shellfish," Ulrich growled.

I sighed. I was scared shitless to do it, but I knew they needed help. "Jeremie- Virtualize me on Lyoko. I can help them."

Jeremie turned to me, wide-eyed. "What?! Kaitlyn! Are you sure?!"

I sighed. "Yes. They need some extra help. All I'm doing is just standing around." I protested.

Jeremie turned back to look at the computer, only to see Yumi had just disappeared "Okay. Go down to the scanner room. I'll send you to Lyoko."

I took a deep breath, and walked over to the elevator. I pressed the down button, and got in. The elevator door shut in front of me as I felt myself going down.

_"To the Desert Sector_."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, as the elevator door opened to reveal Odd and Yumi laying on the floor looking totally beat, and also three scanners? They were about maybe 10 feet tall.

"Good luck, Kaitlyn." Odd said, weakly. "Can't wait to see what you look like on Lyoko." He smiled widely.

"Thanks, Odd. Get some rest, okay?" I assured him.

Sighing, I looked at the scanner in front of me. "Okay, be brave, Kaitlyn." I stepped in. "Okay, Jeremie. I'm ready." I said. I took a deep breath, preparing for what was to come."

"_Okay, Kaitlyn. I'm starting the procedure now."_ Jeremie said from above.

The scanner closed. _"Transfer, Kaitlyn! Scanner, Kaitlyn! Virtualization_!"

I had this amazingly, weird, feeling. I felt like I was flying. The feeling reminded me of this ride I rode at the County Fair last year, I think it was called the Scrambler, or something like that.

Suddenly, I fell on my butt. "Ouch!" I said, as I got up. I looked at my surroundings. It looked exactly like a desert. Wow.

"Kaitlyn!" I heard Ulrich and Aelita's voices scream my name at the same time.

I turned around to see the familiar elven pink-haired girl; and there was Ulrich. Who looked like a sort of ninja and samurai mixed. Next I switched my attention to Aelita. She looked cuter up close than on the screen.

"Wow, you do look a lot like Jeremie." She said, stunned at my appearance.

"Erm- thanks?" I said, and I finally took time to look down at myself. I was wearing this pink body-suit thing, it kind of reminded me of an assassin's outfit. My hair was still long, but it was braided in one long braid, and I still had my glasses on. I looked at my sides, and seen I had guns on both sides of my hips in holsters. I pulled one of them out. It was a pretty big pistol.

"Odd's gonna be so jealous," Ulrich cracked, laughing.

"_Um- guys, I'd hate to stop your moment of fun, but there are more Krabes coming your way."_

"Oops," I smiled sheepishly.

I seen the big creature coming towards me, and to my surprise, it looked just like an actual crab.

"So, you're a Krabe…" I said to it, as I pulled out one of my guns.

Ulrich ran over to me as he drew his sword. "You see the eye on top? That's your target." He said.

When he said 'that's your target;" it reminded me of when my dad took me to the shooting range a few months ago to learn how to shoot a gun. Because I had just turned 13, and I would be coming home by myself; he wanted me to learn how to shoot in case I was in danger, or someone decided to break in.

"Right!" I growled.

"Be careful. They can be very tough," Aelita warned.

"Okay. I'm sure I'm a bit tougher though. I'm gonna show y'all some American culture." I cocked my gun, racing over toward the Krabe. I leaped into the air, landing on top of the beast.

I pulled the trigger, and shot the monster in the eye.

"Whoa…" Ulrich looked at me wide-eyed.

"_That was INCREDIBLE!"_ Jeremie announced, sounding as proud as Dad.

"Your turn, princess." Ulrich said to Aelita, as she ran for the tower.

"Great job, you guys!" Jeremie said from above.

"Kaitlyn, you did great on your first ever Lyoko mission," Ulrich smiled, now finding his words.

"_And you won't ever forget it, either_," my cousin sounded as though he was smiling.

I was confused. "Um- why would I? Aren't you gonna bring us in?"

"He will, Kaitlyn, but in a very special way."

"Return to the past, now!"

**(A.N.): LongHairedAelita: I'm back after so long guys! Sorry for the late update. It's been a busy year and a half for me. I hope you guys enjoyed it. A special thanks to TeenLyokoFan7777 for editing and helping me out with this. It was very needed.**


	6. Chapter 6

I** do not own Code Lyoko. Just Kaitlyn. :) **

**Chapter 6: Just in Time **

**Jeremie's POV**

"_Kaitlyn did excellent on her first trip to Lyoko, Jeremie. We need a flexible person in the group who can run the supercomputer and can be a Lyoko Warrior all the same." _

I smiled as I continued to type in more codes for Aelita's materialization; "Yeah, she did do a great job, Aelita. It shocked me when she called, and said she could virtualize everyone." I typed one final thing into the computer, ready to try my new program.

"Interface transfer, activated. Virtual memory, activated. Code management configured. Scanners, activated and verified." I smiled. "This time it's going to work. 'Ready, Aelita?" I said, ready to try it out.

"_Ready!" _Aelita smiled.

I braced myself. "Okay." I punched the enter key. In suspense, I watched the program scan over Aelita's body.

To my surprise, after the program stopped, it glowed with a big green plus. "It's working…"

I rushed down to the scanner room, and awaited the cabin to open. Once it did, I couldn't help but smile.

**Kaitlyn's POV **

I sat down on a park bench, listening to music. It was a quiet day. Ulrich and Yumi were practicing their Pencak Silat. Odd was playing fetch with his dog, Kiwi, and was standing by a tree.

"Anyone seen Jeremie this morning?" Yumi asked, looking around at the group.

I took one of my headphones out. "I think he spent the night at the laboratory. He said he had to work on something really 'important.'" I said, smirking a bit.

"AELITA!" We all said at the same time.

Ulrich stopped to scratch his head, when; "HI-YA!" Yumi kicked him on the side of his head; causing him to fall over. She smirked with satisfaction.

"Hey! I thought it was time-out!" Ulrich protested.

"Oops. Guess I forgot." Yumi said, smiling, and blushing. It was so obvious she was into him, and vice versa. I don't know why they won't actually go out together. I think they would be a cute couple.

"HEY GUYS!" My cousin yelled, racing up to us. "Guess what I did last night!"

Odd rubbed his fingers on his temples. "Let's see, now… It's got something to do with materializing Aelita?"

I bursted out laughing.

"That's right." He looked at him. "Say, how did you guess, Odd?" Shaking his head, he smiled. "Well, guys, I finally did it. I decided to tackle the problem in a different way."

"Don't bore us with the details, cuz! Did you do it or not?" I giggled.

Jeremie reached into his pocket, fishing out what looked like a tube from a chemistry set, showing it to us. "I sure did!"

"You materialized a test tube?" Ulrich asked dryly.

He held it by the lip. "No, airhead! Look inside, would you?"

The four of us looked into the test tube. Indeed, inside was a tiny strand of hair, but my eyes widened when I saw it was a rosy pink. _Jeremie Elvis Belpois…_

Before I could react further, Odd jumped in, "A hair?! You mean you materialized _one hair_?!"

Jeremie flaunted it slightly. "Yep, that's right, Odd!" He then cradled the tube closer to his face, a blush filling his cheeks. "To be exact, it's a hair of—Aelita's…"

I rolled my eyes. He's completely flipped over an artificial intelligence.

Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd gaped.

"What?! A real hair?!" the samurai asked incredulously.

"But how did you manage that?" my geisha friend asked.

* * *

Back at the factory, Jeremie explained and rambled on how he did it- I could kind of understand what he was saying, but not all the way.

"I chose a hair because it's a simple, anatomical structure which contains Aelita's complete genetic computer code; according to a well known fractal that are comparable to the genetic code of a human."

I yawned. As did the rest of the group.

"Yeah yeah yeah. We'll take your word for it, cuz." I said.

Aelita giggled and put her hand against her face, amused. I got to admit, she was really cute and I could see why Jeremie liked her. I could also tell she, too, liked Jeremie.

"It'll be clear when Aelita is here in flesh and blood," Jeremie smiled. I could tell he was gazing at the thought. "Better get ready, Aelita." He said.

"_Okay, Jeremie."_ Aelita said, as she bowed her head.

"WAIT!" Ulrich blurted. "You're gonna materialize her now?" He said, in disbelief.

Jeremie turned around, shocked. "What do you think? I'm not gonna wait until next year." He said, with a bit of an attitude. "Besides, the hair was just a test before we do the actual thing."

Yumi took a step forward. "Look Jeremie, making a hair appear is one thing, but making Aelita appear is not the same."

Jeremie turned around to the computer screen. "Look, you want to spend the rest of your life fighting XANA? Once Aelita is materialized we can unplug XANA once and for all, and lead normal lives- so I say it's worth trying." Jeremie said, as he punched the enter key with no hesitation, only to be met with a giant red exclamation mark with a circle around it on the computer.

Jeremie sighed sadly. "How can that be? I planned everything so perfectly." He said, looking down at the floor.

"You're almost there, Jeremie. Just give it a few days and you'll be set." Ulrich said, trying to make Jeremie feel better.

It seemed to have worked, because my cousin let out a small smile.

"We better get a move on, guys!" Odd interrupted, while looking at his watch. "If we don't materialize in the classroom, we're not gonna last a few days!"

* * *

The bell rang for lunch. I walked out of the classroom to see seas of kids going to the cafeteria. I wasn't very hungry, but I figured if I didn't eat something now, I'd regret it later.

I hurried off to the cafeteria. Lucky for me, there was only one more person in front of me before I got my lunch.

I grabbed my tray, and slid it down the railing, where I met the jolly, heavy set lady who would serve me my food. Odd told me she was really nice, and she looked it.

"Well, what will it be, honey? Steak and mashed potatoes, or ham and brussel sprouts?" She said, pleasantly, ready to serve me food. _Wow. _The food selection was so much better than back in Joplin. We had Pizza and Chicken sandwiches with fries every day. I opted for the steak and mashed potatoes.

I picked my tray up and seen my cousin's familiar blue turtleneck and Odd's familiar spiked hair. I sat down next to Jeremie.

"Y'know, I could have sworn it would have worked this time." Jeremie said, as he stuffed his mouth with food. He acted like he hadn't eaten in days. He always had a bad habit of skipping meals though.

Yumi looked at Ulrich, then back at Jeremie. "But if the gene code of the hair gives you enough information to find the parameters of materialization, what's the problem?" Yumi said, with her hands up.

"I wish I knew." Jeremie said, taking a bite of his brussel sprouts. "The only way I'll know is if I start over."

"No, don't do that! You're only a hair's breadth away!" Odd snickered.

Yumi glared at him. "Can you ever be serious, Odd?"

"By the way, Odd, speaking of hair, your dog sheds and awful lot of it. It ends up on my bed, too." Ulrich cracked a grin.

Odd took a bite of food. "What's the big deal about two or three hairs?"

He leaned across the table as Yumi started giggling. "'Two or three?!' With all the hairs he sheds, I could knit you another Kiwi."

I cut into my steak. It was well done, but I was okay with that. I do prefer my steak mooing at me still, but I knew they couldn't do that probably because it was against the school health code.

I took a bite out of my steak, when I looked up, and there was a bare midriff with a burgundy skirt in my face. _Ugh. _I thought.

"Hello. Did you say dog? I really adore dogs. Hey, can I sit down?" Sissi said, kind of quickly.

"No." Ulrich said, blankly.

I picked up my glass of milk and drank some to prevent myself from talking. I would rip her a new one.

Sissi bent over into Ulrich's face. "You know, I am so crazy about dogs that I'm ready to keep my mouth shut about the one Odd is hiding in his room, that is if you agree to be nicer to me, of course."

This sent me over the edge. "Sissi! If you say anything about Kiwi, I swear I'll beat your a-" I was squeezing my glass pretty hard, and it shattered.

The whole group was stunned, especially Jeremie. Sissi winced a little, and walked away.

"Are you okay, Kaitlyn?!" Jeremie asked, sounding more worried.

I stared at the cuts in my hand, they were bleeding a little. Ulrich tried to look away, while Odd had me stand up and led me to the infirmary.

* * *

I sat on the bed, and waited for Yolanda to come in. It was cool, because she was apparently a licensed physician. Schools in the USA really need to step their game up.

Just then, she walked in with a cotton ball and some cleaning alcohol. "There we are." She began rubbing it on my wounds, making me wince. "It's alright, nothing serious, the cuts aren't very deep," she said, calmingly.

Soon Yolanda had wrapped bandage around my hand and left.

"I did squeeze that thing rather hard. I guess I don't know my own strength," I blinked.

Odd shook his head. "I always say that lunchroom plastic works better than that. Anyway, remind me never to get on _your_ bad side. I already know what I'm in for if I do."

I laughed a little. I slapped my hand down only to realize my hand had fallen into Odd's. I was stunned, and couldn't help but to stay still.

Odd had the same expression, I seen his cheeks heat up. I could feel the blood come up in mine too.

We both sat there for a good minute, until we got startled by Odd's cell phone ringing.

"Jeremie?" Odd said.

I couldn't hear what Jeremie was saying, but from Odd's expression; it sounded serious.

"We'll be right there."

* * *

"I don't believe it! It's a disaster!" Jeremie whined.

"What's wrong, cuz?" I asked.

Jeremie turned around in his computer chair.

"I was trying to figure out why the materialization didn't work, and I realized that Aelita's program is all full of bugs," Jeremie said. "When I materialized the hair, I- I hit a button I shouldn't have, and I damaged the annex program." He said.

"Annex? That doesn't sound too bad." Yumi perplexed.

"That's what you think." Jeremie said, as he turned to her. "If Aelita enters the Lyoko code; she'll be completely reformatted."

"Meaning?" I asked.

"She'll- She'll disappear forever." Jeremie winced.

"_You know, Jeremie," _Aelita popped up on the screen. "_A program can be debugged. We can do it together!"_ I could tell she was trying to cheer Jeremie up and stay positive. I could see her becoming my cousin by marriage one day.

"But- what if XANA attacks before we're done?" Jeremie said. He could be a big worrywort sometimes.

"That means you gotta work fast, Jeremie." Odd pointed out.

"Okay, make up a story to tell to the teachers. I'm not leaving this computer until I've solved the problem." Jeremie said. I really hope he finds a way to do it in time, I wish I could find a love like they have.

I walked down to Ms. Hertz's class. I knew I couldn't miss her class much, because she was a real pain if you did. Unless you were sick, or with another teacher, it was instant 2 hour detention. I guess because science is a class you're required to pass here.

I walked into the class, and the first thing I noticed were two ugly boys sitting side by side with Sissi. I had never seen them before until today, then again I never really paid attention.

I took a seat next to where Jeremie was supposed to sit.

Almost instantly, "Jeremie? Jeremie isn't here?" Ms. Hertz said. "Kaitlyn, would you know where he is?"

I pretended to think and I finally said; "I have no idea, ma'am. Ulrich and Odd saw him last."

"Yeah! He's in the infirmary getting unblocked!" Odd blurted out.

Ms. Hertz nodded, "Very well. For today's lesson, we're going to talk about climate in different regions of the world." She said, in her boring; trying-to-be-enthusiastic voice.

I yawned. After what I had been through, my last interest was weather.

I felt my phone buzz. Pulling it out discretely, I read the notification, and my blood ran cold.

_**Tornado Warning in effect for your location until 11pm.**_

"NO, it's gotta be a mistake." I said, quietly.

Odd looked over at me. "Is everything okay over there?" He quietly asked, smiling a little. I gulped. "I just got a notification from the weather service. There's- There's a tornado warning in effect for this area."

Odd looked at me, dumbfounded. "We don't get that kind of weather here. Are you sure maybe your location settings doesn't still think you're in Joplin?"

This was a possibility, so I went to my location settings. Sure as shit, my location settings had me at Paris, France.

I heard thunder rumbling in the distance. Looking outside through the window, I saw achromatic clouds, mixing with dark and light grays, even a little black. I felt tears welling in my eyes. My nightmare had followed me to what I thought was my safe haven.

I raised my hand. "Mrs. Hertz?!"

"Go ahead, Kaitlyn."

"We need to get below ground. We're in a tornado warning!" I warned her.

She looked at me as though I just told her that the equation she wrote on the blackboard was wrong.

Just then, "_YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE! DUE TO DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS, EVERYONE NEEDS TO REPORT TO THE STAIR WELL. WE ARE UNDER A TORNADO WARNING. NO ONE WILL BE PERMITTED TO ENTER THE BUILDING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. EVACUATE YOUR CLASSROOMS IMMEDIATELY!" _Principal Delmas boomed over the PA system.

I could barely believe my ears. The stair well is the worst place you could possibly be in a storm like this, if it's anything like the one in Joplin!

Odd and Ulrich were dumbstruck.

"Good job, Belpois!" Sissi shrieked at me. "You bought the tornado with you!"

"EVERYONE SETTLE DOWN! DON'T PANIC!" Ms. Hertz yelled, in a firm voice.

"Oh no!" Odd said, quietly. "Kiwi is still in my room!"

I thought for a second. "I'll go and get him and Jeremie." I said, remembering Jeremie was in his room. I was shaking, but I tried to stay calm for everyone else.

"This isn't any ordinary storm. Look at the clouds." Ulrich said, looking outside.

Odd and I looked outside, and to our surprise. There it was; The eye of XANA perfectly visible in the achromatic sky. I felt all the blood drain from my face.

I turned to Odd and Ulrich, "I'll go upstairs and grab Jeremie and Kiwi. With him being nose deep in his computer, he probably didn't even realize how dark it had gotten outside."

I ran out of Ms. Hertz's classroom, and made my way for the dormitory. My heart was pounding, and I was shaking with fear.

I ran outside into the breezeway, and could feel the wind blowing my long, blonde hair. Thunder roared above me; rain fell like bullets. I didn't see Xana's conjured-up twister yet, but I knew it wasn't gonna be long.

I ran into the stairwell, where mostly everyone was. They were talking about the storm, and how unusual it was for them to have it. However, Delmas wasn't there yet, so I could run up without being noticed.

I ran up the flights of stairs to the upstairs dorms, which were of course the boy's.

I walked into the hall, only to hear Kiwi barking. But first, I ran to Jeremie's room.

I slung the door open, only to hear,

"_Oh no, I don't believe it! Not now!" _Aelita said, almost in utter defeat.

"Jeremie, XANA's launched an attack." I yelled.

"It can't be! Not now!" Jeremie whined.

I looked out the window, and saw the clouds starting to dip up and down. The twister was going to form any moment.

My heart started pounding. "Jeremie, go to the factory with Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi now. You still have some time to work on Aelita's program. I know you can do it, cuz."

Jeremie turned his attention to outside.

"Oh- my-" Jeremie said in disbelief.

I looked outside. My eyes widened as I saw the big twister, identical to the one that had destroyed my home in Joplin.

I shoved Jeremie out of the room. "GO, NOW!" I exclaimed. "These storms are dangerous! Hurry and get to the factory!" Running out of the room, I went to go grab Kiwi.

I swung the door open. "Kiwi! KIWI!" He came up to me right away, wagging his tail. I grabbed the backpack Odd carried him in. There was no way I was gonna lose him the same way I lost Phantom! The puppy jumped in without hesitation and I slung the bag over my shoulder, bolting for the stairwell and joining my cousin and two other girls at the bottom.

"Kaitlyn! I found Milly and Tamiya in their room," he told me. "We need to keep them safe."

"We'll have to take the risk! They'll have to go to the factory with us," I panted.

I ran to look for Principal Delmas; luckily I found him peering out of the window.

"Mr. Delmas! Get away from the window, NOW! This is not the safest place to be! We need to get below ground, where there's no windows!"

He nodded. "You're absolutely right, Miss Belpois! You and your cousin have to get somewhere safe, too. That's an order!"

I looked around. "Mr. Delmas, does the school have a cellar or a boiler room?"

"We have a boiler room _and_ a basement, Kaitlyn." Jim looked at me, impressed, as he descended the stairs. "But, wow, Belpois! You sure know a lot about tornado safety."

I looked at him. "I'd rather not talk about it, Jim." I smirked a little to lighten the mood.

"Of course, she would," Jeremie nodded. "Don't you remember what happened in Joplin, Missouri, Jim?"

Jim didn't respond, but we got down the basement area safely.

While everyone's back was turned, I looked to Jeremie. "Hurry up and get to the factory. Do you know another way?"

"Yes. We have more than one way," he nodded. "Through the boiler room is one of those routes."

"Excellent!" I praised. "Go! You have programs to fix, then a tower to deactivate!"

He gave me a solemn look. "Good luck, Kaitlyn."

A surprised, yet pained, look flitted across my face. "Don't look at me like that, cuz! We can get through this together. We are Lyoko Warrior cousins, after all."

He smiled, and hugged me.

"Now, GO! Call me when you get to the factory so I know you made it okay." I said.

"Will do!" Jeremie said, bolting up the stairs.

I turned back the other way, to join the others in the basement.

Everyone was scrambling to find a safe spot to duck under, panic overwhelming them.

"Diop!" Jim yelled. "Be careful where you are going! For all you know, you could—"

Suddenly, Tamiya tripped over her two feet and fell over onto a metal box.

I ran over to her, and picked her up quickly.

"Be careful!" I yelled.

"Sorry, Kaitlyn. I got separated from Milly and was trying to find her." She looked up at me sheepishly.

I scanned the room, but I didn't see Milly. Suddenly, at the top of the stairs, the redhead with tiny pigtails came down. "Tamiya?"

"Milly!" she cried out, voice squeaking. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

I smiled at the two of them.

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate.

"Jeremie?" I asked as soon as the earpiece met my hearing organ. "Did you make it to the factory?!"

Jeremie sighed over the phone. "_Yes, and it's really nasty outside. Listen, I may really need you here. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi are in over their heads on Lyoko. Xana isn't playing around."_

"I'll do all I can, cuz. It's chaos over here, too," I tried for his sake to be reassuring.

"_Just hurry. And bring Kiwi!"_

Glancing at the bag on my back, I had forgotten all about Odd's dog. _Shit. _I sighed.

Everyone else was more focused on staying safe, that I had time to escape without being noticed. I bolted up the stairs, and went into the stairwell that lead to the dorms.

The skies were still nasty and achromatic, rain falling like bullets.

I knew I had to make a run for the boiler room, which was located in I believe the gymnasium.

With the backpack swinging around on my back, I sprinted for the building. Rain fell on me so hard, I felt like it would bruise me later and break my glasses.

As soon as I got into the boiler room, sopping wet and wild haired, I looked back at my charge. "You doing okay, Kiwi?"

He wiggled around, hitting my spine a couple times, yipping frantically.

"I think that's a yes," I blinked, knowing that I couldn't read minds.

I ran through the underground entrance, clutching the backpack tight so it didn't swing around as much.

The water level in the sewers had risen since the rain was still in play. "Hang on, Kiwi!" I grabbed a skateboard and hopped on, rolling through to the drain with the bars. I slowly climbed up the ladder, the wind whipping my hair.

I crawled up onto the concrete that lead to the bridge. The wind was really strong, but Jeremie was counting on me.

All of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my right leg. So painful, to where I could barely move it. I screamed out.

I looked down, only to realize there was a giant piece of glass in my right thigh. Yolanda's alcohol and cotton ball wasn't gonna save me from this.

I slid my mobile from my pocket. "Jeremie… I'm at the factory… but I can't move my leg. Sharp glass hit it." I could see Xana's agenda was a very gruesome one.

I looked down at my leg, I could see blood gushing out of the wound onto the concrete.

"_Oh no!" _Jeremie said over the phone.

I winced in pain, almost crying. "Jeremie, please tell me everything is okay on Lyoko."

"_Not too great. I'm not done with Aelita's annex program." _

"I wish I could help you, cuz," I whined, feeling like falling over.

I heard Aelita sigh over the phone.

"_Jeremie…. I've got to deactivate the tower," _she said, I could hear the dread in her voice.

"WHAT?!" I yelled, literally collapsing onto my side, the glass digging deeper into my leg. I let out a loud cry of pain. I could barely take it.

I looked up, and saw something running over to me. The rain was so heavy, and the wind was blinding me.

"Kaitlyn! Are you okay?!" I heard Odd ask frantically.

"Ugh…! No…!" I groaned, the pain too much for me to bear.

I rolled over on my left side, the glass deeper in my thigh, my khaki pants almost red from all the blood.

Odd's hand flew to his mouth, and eyes wide with tears. He snatched the phone from me.

"JEREMIE! KAITLYN IS LOSING TOO MUCH BLOOD! WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" Odd yelled into my phone.

"_Jeremie, you know there's no choice…" _I heard Aelita's voice from over the speaker.

The wind had picked up, and I looked over on my right, rolling onto my back. My eyes froze in fear. Xana's twister was coming for me and Odd.

"_You'll be reformatted and disappear, Aelita! I-I can't let you do that!" _my cousin protested.

"I'M GONNA DIE, JEREMIE!" I yelled, weakly. I could feel myself fading away. I had lost too much blood. I could hear Jeremie sobbing over the phone.

"_A-Alright, Kaitlyn…"_

"_Goodbye, Jeremie and Kaitlyn!" _ Aelita whispered as my eyes slowly shut.

"**RETURN TO THE PAST, NOW!"**

* * *

We gathered around the supercomputer,

It was back to where my cousin explained how he got the hair.

Yumi was crying, so was Jeremie and I. Aelita did save my life, and I'll never forget it. But from saving me, she sacrificed herself.

"Jeremie… It-it wasn't your fault," Ulrich attempted to soothe him.

"It was, and all that… for a strand of hair…" he took off his glasses to wipe his eyes.

Suddenly, Yumi's eyes widened. "Hey, the hair! Jeremie! Didn't you say the hair contained Aelita's entire genetic code?!"

"Her computer code, yes, but—"

"Is it possible to reverse things, and recreate Aelita's code from the strand of her hair?"

I nodded. "It's worth a chance, if you think about it."

Jeremie fished out the test tube, handing it to Yumi. She quickly took it and raced into the hatch leading to the scanner room. Faintly, we heard a clink, like glass softly meeting metal.

Moments later, she reappeared beside me, hand around my shoulder.

Jeremie typed on the computer, and a digital incarnation of Aelita appeared. Suddenly, he shouted, "It works! The codes are getting restored! Now we just have to—"

A window appeared on the screen, and a pink-haired girl smiled at all of us. "_Jeremie!"_

He looked at the screen, a look of disbelief briefly flitting across his eyes.

"_I'm ready for my materialization now," _she sang.

"Aelita…" Ulrich whispered, excitement brewing in his being.

Yumi pumped a fist and hugged him as they whooped and hollered. "OH, AELITA! IT WORKED!"

Odd shook his fist, softly smiling. "Yeah…!"

Aelita looked confused. "_Jeremie? Kaitlyn? Did I miss something? Why do you two have water on your face?"_

Like my cousin, my face was streaked with tears. Before I could help elucidate her, Jeremie looked up at the screen, wiping his eyes. "I'll tell you later, Aelita. This time, we only missed—by a hair."

We laughed. Only my cousin could find light in a situation like this.

**A/N: Thank you so much to those that have stuck with me all these years. I didn't think I'd get that many hits on the remake, but you guys are amazing. Thank you so much. I finally found a way to update around my schedule so I'll be updating more frequently now. Also, a very special thanks to Teen-LyokoFan7777 for helping edit this. She has a couple of really good fics on her page, so be sure to check them out! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Killer Music **

**Jeremie's POV **

"Kaitlyn Brielle Belpois!" I yelled. "Either turn the music down or turn it off! I'm trying to work on my robots! Plus, didn't you study for the exam?!"

I don't even think she heard me. She had her earbuds turned all the way up. "Oh, oh, oh, I'm so glad when you're so bad!" she sang, almost repeatedly. _What a badly-written song._

I went back to putting the screw I was working on back into my robot; when I was startled with "YEAH! I'm so glad when you're so bad!"

"Kaitlyn, cut that out! We have a physic's exam tomorrow," I protested. It's not like she heard me, because she was still singing. Don't get me wrong, she could sing like an angel, but I wasn't in the mood. "I don't want you to get a zero!"

She took out her headphones, "What did you say? Sorry, I can't hear a thing."

"Please turn the music down or off, Kaitlyn. We have a physics exam tomorrow, and I don't want you to fail."

She blew it off, and went back to her song. "That's alright, Jeremie. I can just look off of yours. You let Odd cheat all the time!"

"I'm not gonna have a female Odd Della Robbia in my family!" I protested.

Kaitlyn pulled her earbud out. "Hey, instead of being lame like you always do, why don't you listen to what I downloaded from the web?"

"I'm not feeling like it, Kaitlyn."

"Aw, come on, cuz. You can use a break from your robots," she asked, her voice dripping honey.

I sighed. "Maybe another time, Kaitlyn. I have robots to work on and I need to work on Aelita's materialization."

"Dude, I swear you have a crush on her," she giggled. "I hear you talking in your sleep about how beautiful she is, how she's in your dreams, and how you can't wait until—"

I ran over to her, and covered her mouth. "Shut up, she'll hear you!"

She pulled my hand away. "Cuz, your computer is connected to Lyoko 24/7. She probably _has_ heard you talking in your sleep."

She was really starting to upset me.

"Jeremie, she won't think much differently if you just fessed up. She once told me on Lyoko that she loves you," she smiled, possibly using the never-old Belpois Sense.

Her eyes widened, as I could hear the song restart on her phone. She put her earbuds back in, and started singing full-blast all over again.

_And I thought the stereotypical teenager stuff skipped a couple generations,_ I grumbled in my mind.

Then again, looking at Kaitlyn she had many of those qualities. Pink pajama set, almost identical to Sissi's; except Kaitlyn's had a heart on the chest. Long, blonde hair tied up in a high bun during the night, almost like Yumi's, except hers was way more bulkier because of how long her hair was.

As stereotypical as she seemed, Kaitlyn was my cousin. Maybe her listening to music was a coping mechanism she acquired. I didn't know what she did to cope with grief. When we chatted, she was cheerful, almost bubbling with energy. She never told me if she was troubled by someone or something. There was no way I could fault her for things beyond her control.

Not knowing what else to do, I decided I would go to Odd and Ulrich's room to finish working on my robot.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kaitlyn asked, taking her headphones out.

"To Odd and Ulrich's room to get some peace and quiet." I mumbled.

Along the way down the hall, I saw my German-named buddy. "Hi, Einstein."

"Hi, Ulrich. Let me guess: Odd."

"Yep. Kaitlyn?"

"You guessed it. She's been singing the same song in my room for over an hour, and it's messing with my work."

"Odd, too. Can we just go to an empty dorm room and study or something?" he asked.

"Sure. I can even give you some help, if you want." I smiled appreciatively at him. _Ulrich Stern, a kindred spirit._

"I could sure use some," Ulrich nodded.

**Kaitlyn's POV**

I laid down on my military cot, still listening to Glad When You're Bad.

I turned over, and looked at the computer. I took one of my earbuds out.

"Hey… Aelita? Are you there?" I asked.

"_Loud and clear, Kaitlyn." _The elven pink-haired girl said, popping up on the screen. "_What was that all about between you and Jeremie?" _

"He just has some flower-sniffing issues," I giggled.

"_What does that mean?"_ she asked curiously.

"It's based off a phrase that says, 'Stop and smell the roses.' Basically, Jeremie is too focused on one thing to stop and enjoy the smaller things in life," I explained.

"_Oh, I see." _

"You know, Aelita, I could totally see you as my cousin by marriage one day." I said, smiling.

She'd blushed if she could. "_Thank you, Kaitlyn. You should probably get some rest, you do have a test in the morning." _

"Good point." I said. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, Aelita."

She smiled. "_Goodnight, Kaitlyn. I'm signing off." _

"Night." I said.

I put on my headphones, only to see the song on my phone had changed to _Party Monster _by The Weeknd. This was a rather more explicit favorite of mine, but I turned it back to Glad When You're Bad.

Boy, I should have kept listening to Party Monster.

The second the song turned on, my head felt like it was squealing.

Then, everything went black.

**Jeremie's POV **

I shook my friend on the shoulder the next morning. "Time to get up, Ulrich!"

He grumbled, a smile plastered on his face, "Too tired…"

"Do I need to remind you, you have a test this morning?" I asked gently, putting on my turtleneck.

He rolled over onto his belly, rubbing his eye. "I didn't get a lot of sleep!"

"Well, how come?"

He came up beside me. "I'll tell you how come. 'Aelita… oh, Aelita, you're in my dreams! I can't wait until—'"

I slapped my hand over his mouth for a brief second, a blush overtaking my face. "Sh… Not you, too!"

He looked at me. "Between you and Odd, I can't study _or_ sleep."

"Hey, you're not going to tell anyone, huh?"

Ulrich grinned. "Promise, Romeo!"

Reassured, a similar smile appeared on my features. "Let's get some breakfast!"

"Yeah, but not with Odd. He made me so mad last night!" he growled.

I shrugged. "Whatever you say." However, I remembered I left Kaitlyn alone, too. I'm pretty sure she'd be in the cafeteria, as well.

Ulrich got dressed and tied his shoes, I gathered my robot, and then we left the empty room.

We walked down to the cafeteria, only to see there was no Odd or Kaitlyn. _Strange…_

I sat down at our usual table and started picking at the strudel in my hand.

"It's not like Odd to skip a meal." I said, starting to worry a little. _Kaitlyn is never late either. _

"I couldn't care less!" Ulrich said, drinking from the mug of hot cocoa.

Suddenly, Sissi passed by, headphones around her neck. Nicholas looked at her curiously. "What's the song's name?"

"The song is called 'Glad When You're Bad!' I can't believe how unhip you guys are. You're a couple of real losers! You oughta go out once in a while. Hmph!" She walked off.

He and Hervé followed her. "Well, then fill us in, Sissi! What kind of music is it? Is it R&amp;B?"

"'R&amp;B?' Why not waltz music?"

_Such bad music taste. _I thought. _No bad feelings towards Kaitlyn, but it seems this repetitive song is everywhere now. _

Ulrich and I finished our breakfast, and we headed outside of the cafeteria.

"Hi," Yumi greeted, approaching us. "Odd and Kaitlyn aren't here?"

"No, and I'm beginning to worry," I blinked.

"Have you checked their rooms?"

"Not yet. We're going to do that right now, right, Ulrich?"

"No! We'll be late for the exam!" he protested.

I placed my hands on his shoulders, leading him away from Yumi. "Not if we hurry."

"Keep me posted, okay?" she asked.

Ulrich and I walked up to the dorms, looking around on the way up for a sign of Odd or Kaitlyn at this point. There was still nothing. Where could they be?

"He sang that same dumb song over and over." Ulrich ranted as he opened the door to his dorm, revealing Odd on Ulrich's bed. "Look! Now he's fast asleep!"

"Let's wake him up," I suggested, shaking his shoulders. "Hey, Odd, wake up, will you?!"

He didn't move. I started to throttle his body, jostling his headphones off his head.

"If this is a joke, it's a bad one! We're going to be late!" Ulrich protested.

I turned my friend onto his back. "Something is wrong! Odd?! ODD?!"

He still lay there, as though a serial killer came into his room in the night. "This isn't a joke!"

My eyes widened when I realized something. "Oh, no! KAITLYN!"

I pushed Ulrich out of the way and bolted from the room, dashing into my own. Sure enough, Kaitlyn lay on the cot in just the same way Odd did. My heart just stopped, my blood running cold. I couldn't believe it. All this for some peace and quiet.

* * *

We carried Odd and Kaitlyn to the infirmary, and we waited for Yolanda to come in. When she did, she rubbed his forehead. "Odd… Odd, can you hear me?"

She repeated it to Kaitlyn.

Mr. Delmas walked in, looking very concerned.

Yolanda straightened up. "Call the hospital!"

Ulrich and I gasped. What happened to them?!

"And tell them that it's very, very urgent."

Just as the principal called the hospital, Yolanda placed a stethoscope under Odd's blood pressure cuff, listening. "His blood pressure and his heartbeat are slow."

She did the same to Kaitlyn after. "Same symptoms. I don't understand!" She said, in defeat.

"Kaitlyn…" I whispered. _What have I done?!_

* * *

The paramedics loaded Kaitlyn and Odd into the ambulance outside.

Yumi rushed over to us. "What's the matter with them?! Is it serious, huh, is it?!"

"Their hearts are beating very slowly," I reported sadly.

"XANA!"

"XANA's not capable of attacking human beings directly."

"If only we had stayed with them last night, this wouldn't have happened! We blew up at them and spent the night in an empty dorm room," Ulrich moaned.

Yumi put her head on his shoulder, rubbing her hands on them comfortingly. "How could you have known that?"

He jumped into the ambulance. "I'm staying with them!"

Mr. Delmas put his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ulrich, but I can't permit you to leave the school grounds!"

"I'm staying with Odd and Kaitlyn!"

"Ulrich, get away from that ambulance! That is not the right way to help them! I'll permit Jeremie to go, because he is kin to Kaitlyn but that is it!" he demanded.

"I don't care. I can't let them be taken away like this!"

He sighed and backed away. "Alright, you can go."

"Thank you, Mr. Delmas." I said.

"Are you crazy?!" Yumi leaned to my ear, lowering her voice. "What if XANA launches an attack?"

I patted my laptop bag. "We'll stay in contact! Call me if there's the slightest problem." Then I rushed into the ambulance, taking my place beside Ulrich. The ambulance doors closed and we sped off to the hospital.

* * *

"_WE CAN'T HANDLE MANY MORE EMERGENCIES!" _One of the nurses yelled. We walked down the hall to where Kaitlyn and Odd were kept, they had roomed them next door to each other.

"_**Doctor Miller is wanted in cardiology." **_A receptionist said over the speaker.

Ulrich stood leaning on a rail, outside of Kaitlyn's room.

I sighed. "Ulrich, it's not our fault," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Even if we had been there, we couldn't have changed anything. I'll go get us a soda, that might make things a little better." I said, walking away.

I walked down the hall to look for a vending machine; when I came across a Janitor's closet. _I should probably contact Aelita, _I thought.

I walked into the Janitor's closet as I pulled my laptop out of my bag, and I put on my earpiece, typing on the keys. "Aelita, Do you read me?"

"_Loud and clear, Jeremie. How's everything going?" _My pink-haired sweetheart popped on the screen.

"Not good at all. Kaitlyn and Odd are in a coma, it's really weird. Their hearts have almost stopped beating!" I said.

"_Oh no," _She gasped. "_I talked to Kaitlyn last night before she went to bed, and she seemed perfectly fine. What happened after I signed off, I don't know." _

I thought for a moment. I couldn't think of what could have happened. It all didn't make sense. "No one knows what to do, and the weird thing is is that Odd and Kaitlyn may not be the only ones affected."

"_Bizarre," _She said. "_Do you think XANA is capable of creating a disease?" _

"I can't believe he was actually able to attack humans directly," I went on.

"_Looks like he may have found a way," _Aelita pointed out.

"By the way, I better warn Ulrich and Yumi," I said. "Meanwhile, see if you feel any pulsations."

"_Okay." _She said, as she signed off.

I closed my laptop, and put it back into my backpack. As I went back out into the hospital halls, I noticed it was now much more busier. _This can't be good, _I thought.

I walked into Odd's room, where I saw Ulrich mourning by his bedside.

"Ulrich," I said. "I just spoke to Aelita. She's going to try and see if XANA is the cause to our problem."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "If he did this, I can't figure out how." I said.

All of a sudden, I heard a lot of crying outside.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER?!" I heard my uncle's familiar voice yell outside. _Oh no. _

Peering through the cracked door, I looked only to see my aunt and uncle, who I hadn't seen in ages, in nothing but tears. _Thanks for the lovely family reunion, XANA. _

I walked outside, "Oh! Uncle Mark, Aunt Katie!"

They turned over to me. "Jeremie! What's wrong with Kaitlyn?!" Aunt Katie shrieked at me.

I looked down to the ground. "They haven't the slightest clue. We have a friend who's got the same symptoms in the other room… it's really bizarre."

My uncle looked down on the ground. "Will she be okay?" He asked, trying not to cry.

"I don't know, Uncle Mark. I'm scared." I could feel tears coming on. "I-I have to get back to school, call me if anything happens, please?"

They nodded their heads.

I watched them walk into the room, as they stand on each side of Kaitlyn, holding each one of her hands.

Looking at this, my depression went away. Instead, I started to feel nothing, but pure rage. I didn't need verification anymore; I knew this was XANA's doing.

_You wanna mess with my friends and I... Fine. You wanna mess with my family? You're going down like the Titanic, XANA. _

I walked back into Odd's room.

"Ulrich." I said.

He looked up at me.

"This is definitely XANA's doing," I said. "The only way to save them is to go to Lyoko, so let's go."

Ulrich stood up, and bent over Odd's bed. "We'll get you and Kaitlyn out of this." He glared at him in determination. "I swear we will."

* * *

Ulrich and I made a dash for the factory.

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

"Hello?"

"_Jeremie!"_ I heard Yumi's breathless voice say. "_How are Odd and Kaitlyn?" _She asked.

"Their heartbeats are getting weaker and weaker." I said, trying to catch my breath.

"_Sissi's got the same symptoms, it's spreading!" _Yumi exclaimed.

"I'm pretty sure it's an epidemic started by XANA." I said.

"_Did you reach Aelita?" _

"Yes, get over to the factory fast!" I hung up with her.

* * *

"_Connecting… connecting…" _the supercomputer said.

"Aelita? We're in the lab." I said.

"_You better hurry, the pulsations are getting stronger! The activated tower can't be too far away!" _Aelita exclaimed.

"Are there any monsters around?" I asked.

"_Not yet, no." _

"Ulrich's coming soon, stay where you are!" I said.

"_Okay, I'll wait here." _Aelita said, as she disappeared off the screen.

Almost immediately, Yumi's contact popped up on the screen. "_Jeremie! It's the song that's causing it!"_

I scratched my head. "The song? I don't understand."

"_It is! It's the song, 'Glad When You're Bad!'" _Yumi said breathlessly.

My blood ran cold. "Oh no! I think that's the song Kaitlyn was singing last night!"

"Same with Odd!" Ulrich said, doing a facepalm.

"XANA's using the media from maximum coverage."

"_He's formatted the song, and now he's spreading it all over!" _Yumi said, breathlessly.

"A deadly melody," I muttered darkly.

"Considering what it's done to Odd and Kaitlyn, we better deactivate the tower fast." Ulrich raced into the elevator car. "Send Yumi as soon as she gets here."

"Okay, Ulrich." I typed on the keys. "To the Mountain Sector."

I waited for Ulrich to get downstairs. "_I'm ready to go, Jeremie." _I heard him say.

"Transfer, Ulrich!" I pressed the Enter key. "Scanner Ulrich!" I waited a few seconds the scan to finish. "Virtualization!"

"_Ulrich!" _I heard Aelita say, as I could see her yellow arrow running toward his green on the interface.

"_We need to get to the activated tower!" _Ulrich said.

"_Look, it's there, you see?"_

I watched their arrows race in the direction I believed that Aelita pointed out.

"_Okay,"_ Ulrich said.

"_We're at the tower,"_ Aelita sounded pleased.

I saw a notification pop up from France 24 News. I decided to open it.

"_Just this morning, we've been swamped with calls of a serious epidemic. For an update, let's go to Bill Amstar who is on the scene. Bill?"_

"_Thank you, Olivia. As soon as news of the first cases were announced, I went to the neighborhood, and things have been dramatic here to say the least. For now it seems the authorities can't seem to quote a number on how many people have been stricken by the illness. The victims seem to be under the spell of a disease whose origins are unknown and the outcome could be fatal."_

"That's the music," I mused.

"_Public health officials are currently on the scene."_

A few minutes later, I heard Ulrich's voice. "_No monsters anywhere. That's suspicious."_

Suddenly, I saw three Bloks pop up on the screen.

"_Ah! There you are!" _Ulrich said. "_Aelita, take cover somewhere!"_

I saw the yellow arrow race away to another platform. _Good job, both of you._

Suddenly, after one red dot disappeared, Ulrich's arrow froze. "Ulrich, you're out-of-bounds for three minutes!"

I looked up, and I saw Yumi's familiar black outfit run into the room. "Everything okay on Lyoko?" She asked.

"Not really. Ulrich's frozen solid, and Aelita's alone!" I answered.

She blinked, racing back to the elevator. "I'm ready to go!"

"To the Mountains."

I typed the coordinates for where Yumi would be virtualized. "Alright, here we go." I pressed the enter key. "Transfer Yumi. Scanner Yumi." I waited a few seconds for the scan to finish. "Virtualization!"

Yumi popped up as a yellow triangle on the screen. I also checked Ulrich's timer.

"Thirty seconds left, Ulrich!" I yelled.

"_Stay behind me, Aelita. I'll handle them."_ I heard Yumi's determined voice say. _Great job. _

"_How much longer, Jeremie?" _Yumi asked.

Ulrich's timer was now up. "He's coming." I said.

"_HI-YA!" _Ulrich yelled, as the red dot disappeared from the screen.

"_Good to see ya,"_ Yumi's voice sounded appreciative.

"Stay alert! Two more bloks are headed your way!" I said.

"_That one's yours, Yumi." _Ulrich said. He reminded me of Odd when he said that. _I sure hope he's okay. _

"Well done, guys!" I said, as I seen the two bloks vanish.

"_According to the public health department, the first cases were discovered at Kadic Junior High School." _The news anchor said.

"Huh!" I said, as my eyes widened.

All of a sudden, the video vanished and the eye of XANA replaced the news video. The song started playing.

My head started to hurt. Really fast like, I got up from the computer and unplugged all sound components. _Nice try, XANA. _

I was dead wrong though. The song continued playing.

"NO!" I yelled, as I covered my ears. My head was hurting really bad, worse than your typical migraine. I fell down to the floor.

"_Jeremie! Do you read me?!" _I could hear Ulrich faintly, under all of the music. _You're definitely not fit to be a DJ, XANA. _

I wormed across the floor slowly; I could barely move.

I grabbed onto the computer chair, pulling myself up. "I have to enter the coordinates for the return trip."

I honestly just wanted to pass out, but I kept Odd and Kaitlyn on my mind. Whether or not they were aware of it, they were really counting on me. _Not today, XANA. _Very sluggishly, I typed on the keys, entering each letter and number slowly. "Launching!"

With my last little bit of strength, I pressed the enter key.

"I did it… I DID IT!" I cheered.

Everything went black.

**RETURN TO THE PAST, NOW!**

* * *

I found myself back in the chair. Part of me wondered if it had worked. I turned around, and a smile formed on my face. Kaitlyn was laying on her cot, listening to her music all the way up, just as she had before.

"KAITLYN!" I shouted, as though I was yelling for Kiwi, racing over to her and wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"Uh- Jeremie. Are you okay?" She giggled a little, then groaning from how tight I hugged her.

Tears streamed down my face. She was alive, out of her coma. "Do you remember anything?" I asked.

"Uh...no, cuz? Just listening to music, having you leave, and talking to Aelita for a bit," she blinked.

I sighed, a smile slowly growing on my face. "XANA reformatted the song you were listening to, and you fell into a coma because of it. Your heartbeat was slow, and you almost passed away. The same thing happened to Odd. It appears you two have similar music tastes."

"But I'm here, Jeremie. I'm sure Odd is, too," she giggled. "XANA's music must have been pretty killer!"

Before I could respond, Odd's voice filtered through the hallway into our room. "And if you need help, THE REINCARNATION OF EINSTEIN IS READY TO GIVE A LESSON TO A _SAWDUST-FILLED HEAD_!"

"See what I mean, cuz?"

We both snickered. _XANA thinks he can bring us down? He must be out of his own motherboard!_

"WAIT! Kaitlyn?" I asked.

"Yes, cuz?"

My cheeks heated up a bit. "What exactly did you and Aelita talk about?"

"You, then a few cute things about you and she being a perfect match for each other, then she signed off on the grounds that I needed my rest. Nothing more or less," she smiled.

"Um- what kind of cute things?" I asked, curiously.

"Materialize her first, then I'll tell you!" She yelled, playfully.

"Na-ah!" I smarted, a mischievous grin appearing on my face. "Come on, cuz… Otherwise, I'll tickle you…"

I heard Aelita laughing over my monitor. _Ugh… I forgot to make that mute-Lyoko program._

"You touch me, I'll tell Aelita everything. Oh wait, she probably knows everything already, Mister I-Talk-In-My-Sleep!" She played.

I charged for her.

"AELITA! JEREMIE LOVES YOU!" She taunted, while laughing.

"_HEY! YOU TWO QUIET DOWN, YOU HEAR!" _I heard Jim yell outside my door.

Kaitlyn and I laughed the night away. _If there's one thing XANA does in the end, he always brings us closer. _


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Routine **

**Kaitlyn's POV **

"_It's now or never!"_ My cousin yelled from above.

I sighed deeply and drew my gun. Ulrich directed me to hide behind a tree. Like Odd, my weapon could shoot from a distance, so Ulrich gave me the Megatank. My most hated monster of all time, truth be told.

Yumi and Aelita bolted for the tower, while Odd, Ulrich, and I entertained XANA's guests.

As soon as the Megatank's eye got in perfect target with my gun, I cocked it. It prepared its laser, as I could see the eye pulsate.

I pulled the trigger, and I could see my bullet go straight for the eye. Except, XANA's little bowling ball fired first, causing me to get devirtualized.

The scanner door opened. I felt like I had died, and then came back to life. I walked slowly to the elevator; my hand on my head because I now had a headache.

I walked into the elevator, and pressed the button to go up into the laboratory.

I ascended up a level, with the doors opening to reveal my Einstein-Carnation of a cousin.

"_It's okay, Aelita is in the tower." _I heard Ulrich say.

"As usual guys, great job!" Jeremie said, smiling.

"_That's right," _Odd said. "_Another XANA attack chopped up, and another tower deactivated."_

"Get ready for the return trip to the past!"

* * *

I sat on the park bench with Yumi, waiting for my cousin and friends to get out of class.

"Actually, I prefer Odd! He's funny too." I heard a girl with short blonde hair say. I glared in her direction.

"Don't tell me you have a thing for Odd." Yumi said suddenly, startling me.

I jumped. "Uh… no. What gave you that idea?" I muttered.

Yumi scooted closer to me. "Kaitlyn, if looks could kill, Heidi would die on contact."

Just then, my cousin and friends lumbered into view.

"Hey, how was class today with Ms. Hertz?" Yumi asked, a smile on her face. "Was it fun?"

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Same exact lesson as before the XANA attack so it was twice as boring."

"Once, twice, it doesn't matter. You'll never be any good at physics anyway," Jeremie teased, and had a seat next to me.

"Well, if it isn't Sissi." Odd mused. "Hello Ulrich dear, can we talk for a minute?!"

Odd's impression of Sissi was pretty spot on, and funny. I laughed.

"Hello Ulrich dear, can we talk for a minute?" Sissi said, in just the same way Odd did. He turned around and smiled big.

"First of all, I'm not your Ulrich dear. Second of all I will not go to your room to explain exercise B page fifty-two." Ulrich said, coldly.

Sissi's eyes widened, in disbelief. "But- how did you know that?" She asked, her expression shocked.

We all looked at her, smiling.

Sissi's face turned red in angst, as she walked away.

"A Sissi attack is just as bad as a XANA attack, but ten times more boring." Yumi mused.

"That's for sure," Ulrich agreed.

Just then my phone rang. Only to see it was my dad.

"Hello?" I picked up.

"_Kaitlyn! Did you forget you had an eye appointment today?" _

My smile turned into a frown. "Yes, dad. I forgot." I hated having my eyes checked.

"_Well, are you ready? It's at 2pm." _

I pulled an eye roll. "Yes, dad. When are you coming to pick me up?"

"_I'll be there to get you at 1:30. Just be standing outside when I get there. Mr. Delmas already knows." _

I checked the clock on my phone, only to see I had ten minutes to make it to the other side of the school where it lead into town.

"Okay dad, I'll be right there." I hung up.

"What was that all about?" Jeremie asked.

I took my glasses off and rubbed the lenses. They were a little dirty. "I have an eye appointment today," I turned my nose up. "I think I'm getting new glasses."

Jeremie snickered. "Have fun with that."

I looked at him. "Thanks, cuz." If there's one thing I hate more than Megatanks, it's getting my eyes checked. I remember the first time I got it done when I was about nine or ten years old. I couldn't stand it when I got told I needed glasses. Then again, I guess that was Karma on my end because I always used to pick on Jeremie when I was younger. I would rather have contacts, but my parents thought I was too young for them. I checked the time, and saw that it was about 1:25pm.

"Alright guys, I gotta go," I said, as I got up from the bench.

"Have fun at your appointment, Legal Assassin!" Odd mused.

I giggled at him. "Keep it up, Odd. When I get through with you, you'll see that I deliver!" I walked off to the gate.

* * *

**Jeremie's POV **

I watched Kaitlyn walk away, her long, almost white hair swishing behind her. _She could use a haircut, too, _I thought.

Later, we walked up to the gates.

Ulrich seemed to get an idea. "So, anyone feel like sneaking out and going into town for awhile?" He asked, sounding bored, but I couldn't be too sure.

"Count me out. I've got a heavy date with my pillow!" Odd exclaimed.

"And I'm going to work on my program for materializing Aelita!" I said, excitedly. "One of these days, I'm gonna do it!"

"What about you, Yumi? Want to go into town and have an ice cream?" He asked.

"No, not tonight, I've got to do a little studying…I'm way behind thanks to all these XANA attacks. See you tomorrow!" She said as she walked off.

* * *

**Kaitlyn's POV **

"Okay, Dad, see you later." I said, as I closed the door to the car. I was in a good mood surprisingly, I got new glasses that tinted up in sunlight to protect my eyes, and also a pair of contacts to go with them. Though, I only planned on wearing the contacts when I wanted to clean up a bit.

I had one of my earbuds in, that was playing _Somethin' Bad _by Miranda Lambert feat. Carrie Underwood.

"_Got a real good feeling somethin' bad's about to happen." _The song howled, repetitively.

I pulled my glasses off of my face, so I could get a good look of what I could see of them. I'm actually very far sighted, so I had to hold them at arm's length.

My dad spoiled me this time, he let me pick out my own designer frames. I picked out the pink leopard print ones, with black rimmed frames.

I put them back on, to see that they tinted up. _This is really cool._ I checked my phone for the time. _4:30pm. I guess I should head upstairs. _

Nobody was around, it was almost like Kadic was a ghost town.

I opened the door to the stairwell, to see that it was dark thanks to my glasses. It takes them a good minute to go back to normal, recalling what the doctor said.

As I topped the stairs, there was a girl with long, dark brown hair and glasses walking down the hall. She wore two layered shirts from the look of it, and jeans. I think her name was Emily.

"Hey Kaitlyn, you haven't seen Jim around anywhere, have you?" She stopped me, and asked.

I looked off to the side. "Uh- no I have not." I said. I didn't really like making eye contact with people unless I was the dominant in the conversation.

"Oh. Okay thanks." She said. "I really like your glasses.. they look super cute on you."

I smiled. "Uh- thanks." I said. "I never caught your name. Emily, right?"

She giggled a bit. "Yeah. I'm a bit of an outcast here," she said. "Don't really belong to a group."

I nodded my head. "Oh." I said.

She smiled again. "It was nice talking to you, see you later." She said.

I waved, and watched her pass by me. The thing that got me though, was that she wouldn't stop looking at me. She kept looking back at me periodically; until she walked down into the stairwell.

_Does she even like girls?_ My thoughts jackknifed to action.

My mind was now a whirlwind of thoughts. I couldn't help but to go back to those thoughts I had of me liking this girl back in Joplin a long time ago. Her name was the same as mine, except she spelled hers with a C instead of a K. I didn't think it was possible to crush on a girl, but looking back it was definitely a bad one. She was in my choir class, and every time she sang it made me melt. I was only eleven at the time, and I thought something was wrong with me.

Looking back at Emily, she kind of reminded me of Caitlyn in some areas. Her long dark brown hair was definitely a factor, and her piercing brown eyes definitely sparked a remembrance. Now I was officially confused. Did I find Emily attractive because she reminded me of Caitlyn? Or was it because I actually found Emily herself attractive? This was all I needed.

Miranda Lambert was still howling in my ear. "_Got a real good feeling somethin' bad's about to happen." _

Something bad? More like something horrible.

I turned down the hallway when I bumped into someone. "Kaitlyn, if you're going to be in Lalaland, do it in your room!"

"Oh! Uh- sorry Jim. By the way, Emily's looking for you." I said, walking away to Jeremie's.

I opened the door, only to see my cousin at where else? His computer of course.

I walked in, and closed the door behind me as I sat on my bed. I sighed deeply.

"Hang on, Aelita. I think something is wrong with Kaitlyn," he said, as he turned around in his computer chair. "How'd the eye appoint—OH! I like your glasses, Kaitlyn. They look really good on you." Jeremie tried to cheer me up.

"Thanks." I said, as I laid down. My mind was a big tornado right now. All I could think about was Odd and Emily both. It was weird. Also, I wasn't sure if I could tell Jeremie about this. When I was eleven, I thought it was just a phase, but now that it's come back I don't know what to make of it.

"Is something wrong, Kaitlyn?" Jeremie asked, as he went to sit on his bed.

I was a bit weary of telling Jeremie what was going on with me. Don't get me wrong, I love Jeremie. But, he was more of the logical type thinker in my eyes. I don't think he'd understand.

"Meh…" I said. I took a deep breath. "I'm just a little confused is all. I like two people at the same time. Well, the second one I'm not so sure because I've only talked to them once, and I don't really know much about them."

I could now see I had Jeremie's full attention, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's no clue that one of them is Odd. Who's the other mystery guy?" Jeremie asked, smiling.

"I'm not comfortable with saying," I said. _Emily isn't a guy. _Then again, there was something about Odd that I wanted to get off my chest.

"I'm a little confused about Odd, too. I get the feeling he doesn't really like me.. that he isn't even the slightest bit interested in me. Yeah, he plays around with me but he does that with everyone."

"Don't worry, Kaitlyn. I'm sure Odd would understand if you tell him," he smiled.

I sighed. "Yeah, right. All he cares about is food, sleep, and other girls it seems."

Jeremie sighed. "Well…all you can do is try, Kaitlyn."

I sighed. I grabbed my pink pajama set and my showering supplies. "I'm gonna go take a shower," I said, as I walked out of the dorm.

I sighed in relief, glad not to see anyone so far as I lumbered down the hallway. There wasn't much rush to the shower.

I almost made it to the door when a blonde girl with a bunch of ponytails in her hair approached me. I recognized her as Heidi Klinger.

"Hi, Kaitlyn, you haven't seen Odd have you?" she asked, a big smile on her face.

"Not since after science class," I answered honestly. "He might be in his room with Ulrich."

She nodded her head. "Oh, okay," she said. "By the way, Emily wants to talk to you when you get the chance sometime soon."

My heart skipped a beat when I heard this. "Erm… why?" I asked.

"She wouldn't say, just wanted to talk to you," she smiled. "She seemed really psyched about something."

I nodded. "Okay, thanks, Heidi." I said, as I walked past her into the showers.

I went into one of the stalls, and started to undress. I pulled off my turtleneck, and took off my khaki pants.

I took off everything else, including my glasses.

I put my phone music on shuffle, I loved listening to music while showering. It's something I did all the time. It was also a way I got things off my mind.

I turned the shower on, and stood there for a while.

I started to relax when _Acquainted _by The Weeknd started playing.

"_You got me touching on your body, oh you got me touching on your body. To say that we're in love is dangerous, but, girl, I'm so glad we're acquainted." _

Hearing these lyrics made me cringe very badly, so I reached out of the shower and turned my music off altogether. That _song is getting deleted. _I wanted to throw up.

I was now officially annoyed and weirded out. _Why would Emily want to talk to me all of a sudden? What could be the reason? There's no way she could like me with just being acquainted for five minutes. If she did like me, why? Was it my looks? My personality? No way… _

But then again, I had been here for a couple of months. Maybe she was having a small crush on me. Nothing major.

As I thought about it more, that was a possibility. She was in my science class with Ms. Hertz; maybe she had been watching me for a long time and I didn't know it.

I thought about talking to Jeremie a little more about her. But then again, I didn't want him to get any ideas… yet.

_Ah screw it.. I'll talk to him. _

* * *

I made my way back to my room. I stayed concentrated on making it back to Jeremie's and nothing else. Coast was clear, not many people around.

I walked in, my cousin still hard at work at his computer.

"Oh, that's no one, Aelita, Kaitlyn just came in is all," Jeremie said.

"_I see, Jeremie. I just don't want you to get into trouble." _I heard her say over Jeremie's headset.

"It's okay. You were worried, that's all," he said reassuringly.

I sighed as I laid on my bed. Of course, he was too busy with Aelita. "Hey uh—Jeremie? Can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked, a little unsure.

Jeremie turned around in his computer chair. "Sure, Kaitlyn. One moment, Aelita." He turned around. "What's going on?"

"I—um… need to tell you something else about what I said earlier," I admitted.

Jeremie's eyebrow raised. "Oh?"

I could feel myself starting to sweat with nervousness. "I-I uh—um…" _Okay, I'm just gonna come right out and say it. _"I think I have a crush on a girl." I finally said.

A wide-eyed looked crossed his features. "That's the other person you were talking about?"

I nodded, bracing for impact.

"Oh, Kaitlyn… You don't have to be afraid. Mr. Delmas allows all sexualities here. You're safe," he smiled.

This was a relief, because back in Joplin, they didn't allow people of the same sex to love each other per se.

"And I'm your cousin, Kaitlyn. I would hate myself if I disowned you for something like that," he grinned, coming over to me and wrapping his arms around me.

I smiled. "Thanks, Jeremie." With that off my chest, I could finally relax and get some decent sleep. "Alright, Jeremie. I'm gonna get some sleep while I can."

He smiled. "Okay, Kaitlyn. Good night."

I smiled back. "Good night. You two geniuses keep it down, okay?"

Aelita laughed over the interface; Jeremie just blushed. "Sure, Kaitlyn." He said.

I removed my glasses from my face, and turned over on my back. Maybe tomorrow, I can sort out the mess that was my emotions.

* * *

I walked downstairs to the school courtyard. It was a bright, sunny morning and I could sport my new glasses with the tinting feature.

As soon as I got outside, my glasses got darker. I looked around, seeing how everything looked.. When I came across something that wasn't your everyday sight.

Ulrich and Emily laughing together.

_What the hell is Emily doing with Ulrich? They don't look bored._ I was now a little mad, stomping towards my cousin and another one of my crushes. "Hey, what kinda game does Ulrich think he's playing?!"

Odd turned around and looked at me. "He's just talking to her. You're not jealous, are you?"

"Of him?! Are you crazy? I can tell that he loves Yumi." I glared at him. "Speaking of Yumi, you better hope she doesn't see what's going on."

"Hello!" Yumi yelled out, obviously sounding angry. "What kind of a game does he think he's playing?"

"He's just talking to her, what are you, jealous, too?" Odd said.

Yumi got wide-eyed. "What?! Me jealous of Emily?! You've got to be kidding me. Anyway, she's a year older than him and that's a lot." She slammed her bag down and dug into it.

"Well, guess what. You're also a year older than him, Yumi," I said, my heart beating faster.

"Yeah? Well, it's not the same thing! I'm Ulrich's girlfriend—" My geisha friend's cheeks heated up and reddened. "Uh—I-I mean… I-I mean… I'm his _good friend_!"

I snickered under my breath. I also looked over at Ulrich and Emily laughing their heads off at whatever. I didn't exactly understand what's going on. Heidi told me Emily wanted to talk to me; I come outside hoping to find her. _But no, what do I get? Ulrich Stern who's supposed to be in love with Yumi; talking to another girl that's apparently interested in me. _

"Kaitlyn, are you okay?" Jeremie asked, shaking my arm.

I grumbled. "No, not really. I'm just going to walk away." I said, as I got up.

I walked off to the stairwell. I wasn't in the mood to deal with what I just saw. It's messed up for Ulrich to lead Yumi on like that, but it's also wrong for someone who apparently wanted to talk to me about something who's talking to someone else.

I took a seat on one of the stairs, and hopped on my phone. I wasn't in the mood to deal with shit.

I was surfing the web, when I saw Jeremie's picture pop up on my screen.

"Yes, Jeremie?" I said, as I picked up.

"_Hey! What's wrong with you?" _

I sighed. "Are you alone?"

"_For the moment, why?" _He asked.

"Because! You know what I told you last night? About me having a crush on a girl?" I said.

"_Yeah, so?* _Jeremie said.

"That girl—is the one Yumi's mad at."

"_Wait… Emily? Are you serious?!" _Jeremie yelled, sounding surprised.

"Yeah…" I said, unsure of what to say next.

"_Well.. I don't know what to say, Kaitlyn. But listen, XANA's woken up." _

I rolled my eyes. "Get Ulrich to help you. I have something I need to take care of."

"_I can't. His phone seems to be turned off."_

"_That's okay! I'll go and get him!" _I heard Yumi say over the speaker.

"Jeremie…I thought you said you were alone!" I whined.

"_I was, Yumi came up at that moment when I said something about Ulrich's cell phone. You're good." _

I sighed in relief. "Oh, okay. Talk to you later." I said, as I hung my phone up.

"_See you later!" _I heard Emily yell in the stairwell, her voice echoing off the walls.

I continued to sit on the stairs, waiting for her to come up.

Anger and excitement gripped me as I could hear her walking up the steps. I didn't know if I should be angry, or happy I'm about to talk to her.

I saw Emily's familiar figure walking up the steps.

"Oh! Kaitlyn! Just the person I wanted to see! I have something I need to tell you." Emily said, as she walked up the steps.

"Yeah? Like what?" I asked, trying for her sake to be gentle initially.

She took a seat next to me. "Well, I would—um…"

My eyebrow raised, as I looked at her. "Yes?"

She took a deep breath. "I would like to get to know you more."

My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I just heard.

"...What?" I finally said.

Emily took another deep breath. "I like you, Kaitlyn. I've watched you for a long time since you first came to Kadic. I could never work up the guts to actually talk to you, but last night when I ran into you; there was definitely something still there. Besides, I've always had a thing for girls. Truth be told, my first crush here was Heidi Klinger. But then, you kind of came and took her place a bit. Besides, she's into Odd."

"Well… what about Ulrich?"

"The reason I talked to him was to ask him what you liked. He instead entertained me with a joke," she giggled. "That's why we ended up laughing as hard as we did. Something about a duck and a plumber."

I didn't know what joke she was talking about.

"It's okay if you don't know it, Kaitlyn. I can't even remember what it was," she giggled.

Part of me was still a bit confused. "Well, if you wanted to find out more about me, why didn't you go to Jeremie? He's my cousin. You started a big brawl in the group earlier." I still thought about how upset Yumi had gotten.

Emily sighed. "If I would've came out the blue and wanted to talk to Jeremie, it would have been too obvious. I know you're not interested in Ulrich, so I thought that was the best idea. Another thing is I ran into Ulrich last night looking for Jim. So I really didn't have a choice."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, reassuring me.

I really didn't know how to feel right now. I was happy, but at the same time I was stumped.

"So… what now?" I anticipated.

She smiled softly. "Here…" She leaned over to my face, our lips pressing against each other.

Right away, my heart shot off fireworks, and I could feel the sparks flying. My mind felt as though it just went to heaven. Did she just kiss me?

_**RETURN TO THE PAST, NOW! **_

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was standing with Jeremie and the rest of the group. Ulrich and Emily were still laughing along.

Sissi came over to Yumi. "Quite a romance going on there! Two months already, that's not bad."

"Sissi… She is just laughing at a joke Ulrich had said—something about a duck and a plumber," I grinned, still not off my high from before the return trip.

I looked back over at Emily, who walked over to me. "Kaitlyn! Just the girl I wanted to see! I need to talk to you."

My heart started fluttering as it did before.

"Did I miss something?" Odd said, looking at Emily and I confused.

"Go ahead, Em. I'll catch up with you in a second," I said, smiling at her.

She giggled. "Okay. See you in the stairwell!" She walked off.

I turned around to face Odd, saying loud and proud, "Let's just say… I kissed a girl and I loved it!"

"Nothing wrong with that," Odd grinned. "By the way, you missed something on Lyoko, too. You're not the only one who got kissed, Kaitlyn."

"Oh? Who?" I asked, feeling slightly sly.

Yumi and Ulrich both blushed simultaneously. "Uh, we- Uh-"

I smiled. "It's okay," I said, cutting them off. "I won't tell a soul."

**A/N LongHairedAelita: Thank you guys so much for the support! It means a lot! Also, thanks for the sweet reviews. It means a lot and it's a huge comeback from the original Code: Belpois. I've thought about taking it down, but it's what has made me known on FF. What do you guys think? Should I leave it or take it down? **


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